


My Eyes on You

by Shizaya143



Category: GOT7
Genre: Drinking, Jealousy, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-03-20 04:21:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18985171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shizaya143/pseuds/Shizaya143
Summary: Mark was completely done. Done pretending he was alright with simply standing by his side. Done with telling himself his feelings would eventually fade. But most importantly done with his unrequited love for Jackson. Maybe that’s why when someone else walks into his life, he decides to take a chance and move on. Unfortunately, moving on isn't as easy as it seems and Jackson isn't helping.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is purely fiction, please do not repost.

****Mark swirled the liquid in his glass.

He never intended for things to turn out this way. No. Not when his career had been everything he had worked towards since he was a teenager. But he figured that he had always, in some tiny way, been lying to himself. Looking back he should've known he had been falling even back then. But now?

Now he regretted letting his feelings root themselves so deep that he couldn't think of anything, anyone other than that asshole. Because Jackson was an asshole. One that had managed to wrap Mark around his finger and bend him to his will. One that smiled so brightly it hurt to see that smile directed at someone else. But most of all, one that had managed to break his heart even before Mark had had a chance to confess.

Because above anything else Jackson was a member of Got7. And regardless of how much Mark loved him, nothing would every change between the two of them. They could only ever be best friends. Maybe that was why Mark had decided to sneak out to a nearby bar undetected by the members or media. He was wearing a baseball hat that covered most of his face and his head was mostly down as he drank the dark drink in front of him.

He rarely drank. But he figured today was an exception. Jackson would be heading back to Korea tomorrow for their new comeback and it had felt like a long time since he had seen the man. It was expected with the way Jackson took strides to broaden his solo career as the years went on and if anyone in Got7 could do it, it would be the annoyingly loud idiot.

Nonetheless he absentmindedly browsed through his phone as he sat on the stool in the empty bar, swirling the drink in his glass before he emptied it. He ignored the bitter taste or the way his head started to spin as he placed the glass back on the counter and instead he gestured to the bartender for another one.

"Can I sit here?" He heard a deep voice ask and Mark slowly turned his head to see a man standing near him. He looked older, probably closer to his thirties from the way his shoulders filled out the suit he was in and Mark froze as he looked into his expectant eyes. It wouldn't be good if someone recognized him, but for some reason he responded without thinking.

"Go ahead."

He watched as the man smiled as he slipped into the seat beside him, gesturing to the bartender to come over to take his order.

"Two whiskeys." He said and Mark silently watched as the drinks were made and placed in front of him.

"Rough day?" The older man asked and Mark paused as he finally looked up to take in the others features. He had black hair that stopped below his ears and bangs that framed his handsome face.

"No. I just needed a drink." The rapper answered as he began to wonder why he let man sit. It wasn't like he didn't like speaking with strangers but he preferred doing it when he wasn't heartbroken and on the verge of being wasted.

"Alone?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Mark countered. "Or do you always come to bars to drink with strangers?"

"I never said I didn't have a rough day." The man said, smirking as he pushed one of the drinks over. "Although you could make it better if you have a drink with me."

The blonde looked down at the glass as he contemplated if accepting was a good idea. If he was in his right mind he wouldn't. In fact, he would've probably made some excuse about needing to head home the moment the man offered the drink. But Mark continued to surprise himself as he silently picked up the glass and brought it to his lips.

"If you tell me why your day was so bad." Mark responded as he tasted the whiskey.

"Alright."

* * *

Mark knew going out and drinking alone was a stupid idea. He knew getting drunk while drinking with a complete stranger was a stupider idea. But he figured there was a first time for everything and he rarely made stupid decisions, so maybe he would get away with it this time.

The younger members wouldn't care too much, or feel like it wasn't their place to scold him and he only hoped Jinyoung and Jaebum wouldn't be too mad at how irresponsible he had been. Especially since he was the oldest and should be setting a good example for the others.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" The handsome stranger asked, opening the door to the passenger seat to place a plastic bag in his lap. Mark vaguely recalled the man telling him his name earlier, but his memories were still blurry and the pounding headache pulsing through his head made him focus on what was happening at the moment.

"There should be some things in there you can drink to sober you up." The raven haired man said, smiling a little as he walked around to the drivers side and settled into the expensive looking car. "Just tell me where you live."

Now Mark knew he should've stopped and assessed the situation before he answered. Especially since, despite how nice the man was being, he didn't know him. And if he leaked what happened tonight it would certainly be a huge scandal.

 _The quiet idol from Got7 getting drunk with a complete stranger._ He could already see the headlines. But unfortunately his mouth moved before his mind could stop himself and Mark internally cursed as he uttered the address. He wasn't that surprised when the man simply nodded and typed the place into his car GPS. However, he knew once they arrived at the location the man might eventually catch on and realize he was an idol. He was still wearing his baseball hat that covered most of his face, but Mark couldn't be too sure if the man had recognized him yet.

Despite everything, he silently rustled through the bag, seeing the man had purchased a few sports drinks, a bottle of water, and some snacks. He smiled a little as he opened up the small box of crackers and began eating to sober himself up. He figured the main reason he had gotten so drunk, so fast, was because they had eaten an early dinner before heading back to the dorms and by the time Mark had managed to sneak out he was already hungry again. Thinking back, he realized that was another terrible decision considering he had intended to drink alone until he couldn't remember the feelings he had for his best friend. If he hadn't been lucky enough to run into the man currently driving him home he wasn't sure what would've happened to him.

Best case scenario he would've managed to stumble back to the dorms safely, but it would probably be at the cost of the media snapping a few pictures of him first. On the other hand he could think of a few ways how the night could've gone much worst and he pushed his thoughts aside as he felt his headache grow.

"You can pull up in the back." Mark said as they drew closer to the dorms. It was already too late for any press to be lurking around the back, even if a few might be in the front, hoping to snap a few pictures of someone trying to sneak in after a night out. The back however usually allowed the members to enter undisturbed, especially if they arrived from a late performance or flight.

"You don't have to look so nervous." The older man said, laughing a little as he turned the corner to pull into the back alley of his building. "I won't tell anyone what happened tonight."

Mark froze as the handsome stranger stopped the car off to the side in the alley. "What?"

"I know you're worried, I can see it in your eyes." The man explained running a hand through his hair before he leaned over to pull a sports drink out of the bag in Mark's lap and opened it. Taking a sip he continued. "And besides I know who you are."

The blonde stayed silent for a few seconds before he met the others eyes, noting the way how his demeanor was relaxed, as if to tell Mark he wasn't a threat. "Did you know the whole time?"

"I had my suspicions." The stranger smirked, before he reached over to pull the hat off Mark's head. "I mean, it's not everyday you see someone so handsome drinking alone."

Scowling a little Mark snatched the hat back, securing it on his head before he unbuckled his seat belt and lifted the plastic bag in his lap to hand it to the older man.

"Keep it, I bought it for you." The raven said and Mark wanted to protest but he was interrupted by a honk from a car that had pulled up behind them. The rapper looked in the rear view mirror to see a taxi roll up and he wasted no time opening the passenger door and stepping out. He needed to get into the building before someone caught him sneaking in because although it would be bad if the media caught him, it would be ten times worse if the company caught him.

"Thank you again." He managed to say with a small bow. "I have to go, but I really appreciate everything you've done."

"No problem, be careful next time." The man responded and with one final nod Mark closed the door and watched the car drive off. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the taxi pull up a little to stop in front of the back door and the rapper wasted no time in pulling out his keys and trying to open the back door.

"Hey, could you hold the door?" He heard a voice say from behind and if it wasn't so familiar he wouldn't have stopped. But unfortunately, he knew exactly who was speaking to him, and reculantly he turned to meet the eyes of his group member.

He noted the way Jackson looked almost surprised to see him, but he quickly pulled his suitcase forward to walking into the open door Mark was holding for him.

"Thanks. Glad to see you're doing well." Jackson said once they were inside, the door shutting silently behind him. Mark trailed the younger man for a few seconds before Jackson came to a stop in the narrow hallway, causing Mark's steps to flatter.

"Did you just get back?" Jackson asked, turning his body to look at Mark, before he let his eyes run over the older's body to take in his outfit. Mark was wearing all back, topped of with a black hat that obscured most of his face and Jackson could easily tell the man had been out somewhere where he didn't want to be recognized. It wasn't odd if some of the members went out every once in awhile but this was a few weeks before they made their comeback and Mark was never one to go out without a reason.

"Yeah." Mark answered, shifting on his feet a bit and Jackson could tell the man was hiding something. He smirked a little as he stepped closer, reaching his hand out to place it on Mark's shoulder before he leaned forward to look under the hat, face inches apart.

"Who were you out with?" He asked, finding it amusing to see his friend nervous. Jackson generally knew who Mark liked to spend his time with outside of JYP, which was few and far between, but Mark tended to be pretty open about his outings. However, as the the Hong Kong native leaned in closer, he could smell the faint smell of alcohol and rose a questioning eyebrow.

Since when did Mark go out drinking?

Unfortunately before the raven could ask him, Mark blushed and stepped back, distancing himself for the younger before he answered. "Just someone."

One thing Jackson prided himself with was being able to read people and he could easily read that Mark didn't want to tell him where he had been, and more importantly who he had been with. And from the way the rapper blushed when he spoke, Jackson could only guess who it was.

"Someone?" Jackson echoed before rolling his eyes, "Don't lie to me Mark, I saw that car drive off. It wasn't from the company and most of your friends don't have cars."

Mark frowned at the accusation, knowing Jackson wouldn't let the matter go easily. "It was just a friend I hadn't seen in awhile."

"Who?"

"You don't know them." Mark lied, and he knew he was only digging himself a deeper hole.

"Why don't you tell me who it is then." Jackson pushed which only caused the taller man to furrow his eyebrows in irritation. He hated how Jackson didn't know when to stop, especially when he could clearly see that Mark didn't want to talk.

"What's the point?" Mark asked, "I don't know everyone you go out with, why should I tell you who I was with."

The comment seemed to catch the younger off guard before he frowned deeply, stepping forward almost intimidatingly. "I'm only asking because I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning to hear you went out to get wasted with some random girl."

Mark almost shivered at the accusation, but he stood his ground as he shot back. "Oh, don't worry I have the common decency to tell the group when I'm actually dating someone."

He knew he had crossed the line the moment he felt his back hit the cold wall, Jackson gripping his collar as he glared at him. "You know that wasn't what happened. And besides we ended things already."

Mark knew. He knew that Jackson had broken up with his ex-girlfriend months ago, but he couldn't help but throw it in the others face when the man started to question him. Because although Jackson was single, had been for months, he couldn't help but feel his heart sink every time his friend came home smelling like perfume in the weeks that followed the breakup. The younger rapper didn't talk about it and Mark never pushed the matter because he didn't want to hear about how much Jackson missed his ex-lover or how much he wanted to hold her again and tell her he loved her. But then again, Mark doubted his friend would be able to admit he missed the girl. That was probably why Jackson didn't tell his members when he started to date her last year, because Jackson tended to get attached too fast for his own good and if he announced the relationship to his members it would only cause him to fall for her more.

Regardless, as the situation stood, Mark didn't need, nor want, to tell Jackson where he had been. Even if the other could tell he had been out drinking, the LA born idol wouldn't divulge any details about his night out.

"I know." Mark shifted as he removed Jackson's hand. "But we both have our secrets, Jackson. I just don't want to tell you this one."

The Hong Kong native paused at the words, wanting to push the matter further, but he knew that Mark wouldn't give in, at least not tonight. Maybe that was why he stepped back and nodded in understanding before he watched his friend silently make his way back to their dorms.

In the end, Mark managed to sneak back into his shared room with Youngjae while Jackson settled on the couch looking up at the ceiling as he let his thoughts wonder. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but the thought of Mark hiding something from him rubbed him the wrong way. Sure they had grown apart throughout the years, but Jackson still kept up with what was happening in the other members lives, especially since he started his solo career and saw then less nowadays. But now? Even Mark had things going on in his life that he kept secret.

His thoughts were eventually pushed out of his mind as he felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy and moments later sleep finally took him.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Jackson was woken up by a loud noise from the kitchen and seconds later he heard a voice, clearly Bambam's, whispering lowly. "Oops."

He pried his eyes open to see two youngest members of the group smiling sheepishly as Bambam put down the pan he had just dropped on the floor. "Sorry, hyung."

Jackson groaned a little as he grab his phone off the floor to check the time. He frowned as he noted it was too early to be up, especially since they all had the day off, but he figured the maknae's had plans for the day if they were up so early.

"It's okay." Jackson managed to say as he sat up on the couch. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Yeah." Yugyeom nodded as they shuffled through the fridge to pull out various different items. "We all went to bed early last night so we planned to wake up early. But you can sleep in."

Jackson nodded as he heard the words, furrowing his eyebrows as he recalled his encounter with Mark earlier that morning. Clearly their youngest member didn't know about Mark leaving last night and it only served to put Jackson in a fouler mood.

"It's alright, I slept on the plane last night." He explained as he got up, strolling into the kitchen to settle himself in a chair. He absentmindedly scrolled through his phone until Bambam spoke up again.

"Oh, hyung, did you buy these yesterday?" Bambam asked as he rustled through a plastic bag on the counter. Pulling out a few snacks, the Thai idol stopped as he noticed the receipt and rose and eyebrow at the bill.

"Wow, you bought a lot." He laughed. "Were you hungry?"

Jackson paused as he looked at bag, vaguely recalling Mark had been holding it when he had let him in that morning, but he didn't bother to comment. That is until Bambam turned the receipt over and smirked knowingly. "Or were these a present from someone? Did you meet up with someone on your way home?"

Jackson rose and eyebrow at the question before the baby faced man walked over to place the receipt down in front of the raven. "You should give them a call, they seem interested."

 **Let's do this again sometime.** Was written on the paper with a phone number underneath.

He didn't show his irritation as he read the note, knowing Bambam was watching him as he pretended to cook. Instead he picked up the receipt and turned it over again to read the time it had been printed.

3:27

That had been almost fifteen minutes before Jackson had bumped into Mark on his way in and he quickly realized the person was most likely in the car that had dropped the idol off. Jackson hadn't seen the driver but the car had certainly looked expensive which only caused him to wonder who this mystery person was. If Mark had just told him maybe he wouldn't have thought much about it, but now he couldn't get it off his mind. Especially since the note and phone number clearly indicated this person didn't know Mark well enough to already have his number.

 _A close friend, huh._ Jackson almost scoffed as he recalled the lie.

"When did you get in last night?" Yugyeom asked as he helped Bambam crack some eggs into a bowl, whisking them up before he poured them into a hot pan.

"Around 4, we got an earlier flight back." Jackson explained. His manager had insisted if Jackson wanted to sleep the night in Hong Kong and fly in the next morning it would have been alright with him, but the rapper knew if they arrived earlier he would have the free day to do whatever he wanted and decided to take the earlier flight. "What did you have planned today?"

"We're going shopping for a bit, maybe grab lunch before we head to a movie." Yugyeom explained. "Youngjae-hyung and Jinyoung-hyung said they were coming too."

"What about JB-hyung?"

"He said he needed to go to the company this morning, but I'm not sure what his plans are for the afternoon." Bambam explained. "And Mark-hyung said he might come with us if he woke up in time."

"Are you just going to stay in today?" Yugyeom asked.

"Can I come with you guys?" Jackson asked.

"Of course!" The youngest said. "We might have to go with two car's though. I'll talk with the managers."

Nodding Jackson watched as the two continued to cook, taking the time to check social media and a few messages he had missed while he was sleeping. A few of his friends wanted to know if he was free to hangout that evening and he contemplated accepting. He hadn't seen anyone outside of work for a long time, and as much as he loved his members, it wouldn't be a bad idea to grab dinner with his friends.

Quickly replying to the message, Jackson informed the pair in the kitchen. "Hey, I'll spend the day with you guys but I'll probably head out for dinner. Jooheon wanted to meet up."

"Okay." Yugyeom nodded as he shoveled the scrambled eggs out of the frying pan into a plate before setting it on the table with the other dishes they had heated up.

"Morning." Jackson heard and shifted his attention to see a sleepy looking Jinyoung walking into the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before he caught the sight of Jackson sitting at the table and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Hyung, you're back early."

"Yeah, I took an earlier flight." Jackson explained as he watched the raven settle in the seat across from him.

"How was Hong Kong?"

"Good!" Jackson exclaimed, smiling as he recalled the time he had spent with his team back in Hong Kong. He loved his members in Got7, but Team Wang allowed him to broaden his platform and experience things he hadn't been able to with his group. That being said, Got7 still held a special place in Jackson's heart and he knew despite whatever happened in the future, his members would always be family to him.

It didn't take long for Jackson to happily explain how his latest trip had gone. Jinyoung easily kept up the conversation, with the two youngest members commenting every so often as they finished cooking before the rest of their members made there way into the kitchen. Jaebum groaned as he settled himself next to Jackson, telling him he was happy the man was back, before he joined in on their conversation. Youngjae and Mark walked in a few minutes later, both looking tired and in need of sleep, but still greeted the others and settled down in the seats.

Mark sat next to Jinyoung with Youngjae taking the vacant spot next to Mark before yawning and resting his head on the cold table. "It's too early."

"You didn't have to wake up, hyung." Bambam said as they finished setting the table and sat in the remaining seats.

"No, I wanted see that movie. If I don't someone is going to spoil me." Youngjae said before they began to eat.

The conversation seemed to flow well after that, with the youngest pair of the group explaining what places they wanted to go shopping before they went to the movies. Jackson, of course, easily kept up the conversation, throwing in his opinions every once in awhile and for the most part nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

If Jackson hadn't bumped into Mark early that morning he would've thought the man was acting like he always did, silent but still engaged in the conversation. Unfortunately every time he tried to meet the older's eyes he noticed the way Mark missed his gaze. Whether that was on purpose or simply because there were other things on the blonde's mind, Jackson didn't know, but it still didn't sit well with him. Mark tended to laugh or send him a warm smile when he made a joke, but this morning all the LA born idol did was focus on his food as they ate.

"Mark-hyung are you coming with us today?" Jinyoung asked, smiling as the other looked at him.

"Yeah." The oldest said, finally letting his smile break through as the younger slung a hand around his shoulder to pull him slightly closer.

"Good, cause we all haven't spent time outside of work in awhile." Jinyoung said. "JB-hyung, if you have time after your meeting message us."

The conversation shifted away from Mark after that and Jackson noticed they way the older allowed himself to relax a little. He seemed more like himself as they finished eating and the Hong Kong native felt somewhat relieved.

"That wasn't too bad." Jackson sighed as let himself lean back on his chair, smiling in contentment. "I was sure Bam was going to burn something."

"Hyung!"

"I mean, he's not wrong Bam, didn't you make noodles for me one time?" Mark commented as he recalled the incident. "I'm still surprised you managed to make them turn to mush before I started to chew."

The group laughed as Bambam tried to defend himself to no avail.

"Who is going to wash the dishes?" Yugyeom asked as the laughter died down.

"I did it yesterday with Jinyoung." Mark spoke up, knowing he didn't have the energy to clean up the mess. He had fallen asleep as soon as he hit the bed last night, but even with that he barely had gotten any sleep. Not to mention he could still smell the faint smell of alcohol and wanted nothing more to take a quick shower before they headed out.

"Alright, rock paper scissors." Jackson suggested as the remaining members raised hands to play. In the end Bambam and Youngjae managed to get stuck with clean up and Mark felt slightly bad as he watched the Thai idol begin to stack up the dishes and place them in the sink.

"I'm going to take a shower." Mark said as he stood, watching as the rest of the boys stood to head to their rooms. "When are we leaving?"

"In thirty minutes or so?" Yugyeom suggested.

"Alright." Mark nodded, before looking at JB. "Are you heading out at the same time?"

"Yeah, I have a car that'll pick me up." Jaebum informed the group before adding. "I'll try to meet up with you guys before lunch if I'm not too tired."

Nodding with a smile Mark turned to head back to his room. It wasn't until he was standing in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror did Mark let out a sigh of relief. As much as he tried to act normal throughout breakfast he couldn't help but feel the obvious signs of a hangover taking its toll on his body. If he had a choice he would've chosen to stay home and do nothing the whole day but he knew that would only raise questions and he felt almost guilty as he saw how excited the members were. They hadn't had a quality day off in awhile and with the addition of Jackson being back Mark didn't have it in him to refuse. He only hoped the movie was boring enough for him to get a few minutes of rest.

Yawning he pulled off the his sweatpants and boxers, kicking them into the corner before he grabbed at the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to take the shirt off when he heard a soft knock at the door and seconds later a figure was standing in the doorway.

Now Mark was used to seeing his members in various levels of nakedness throughout the years, it was bound to happen since they spent every minute together, but that didn't mean he was completely comfortable with it. Sure he didn't mind teasing the fans by pulling up his shirt for them to see his abs, but that was completely different from standing in the bathroom half naked under the watchful eyes of Jackson. He silently thanked himself that he wore a baggy shirt that fell to his mid thigh.

"What is it?" He asked, trying his best to ignore the way Jackson's eyes ran over his body.

"Can we talk?"

"Now?" He asked, gesturing with his eyes to the shower next to him.

"Yeah." Jackson nodded as he stepping inside the small bathroom, pulling the door close behind him before he leaned against it. "Now."

The moment he heard the soft click of the lock Mark realized that whatever Jackson wanted to discuss he didn't intend to let Mark avoid it.

"Jackson I'm half naked." Mark said, stepping back a little as he distanced himself from his friend. He knew that maybe if it had been anyone else he would've been comfortable enough to tell them to wait for him to finish with his shower before they talked, but for some reason he knew that wouldn't work with Jackson. Not when Jackson tended to worry about his members more than he liked to admit. And seeing Mark come in late smelling like alcohol wasn't something the blonde idol would imagine Jackson would let go easily, especially after how difficult he had been last night.

"And I don't care." Jackson said, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now hyung, I hope this conversation goes better than last night."

"What do you want to know?" Mark asked as he played with the hem of his shirt, pulling it down slightly to cover himself up more. He could tell Jackson wasn't bothered by his nakedness but it still didn't help his heart from beating faster as the seconds passed by.

"Where were you last night?" The raven asked. "Because Yugyeom seemed to think you were in bed."

"I..." The older started, knowing he would have to admit something to Jackson to appease the man. "I went out for drinks."

"Where? A restaurant? Club? Bar?" Jackson asked.

"A bar." Mark confirmed. "It's close by. I don't remember the name."

"I figured." Jackson commented and if Mark didn't no better he would think it was almost cold. "And I'm guessing you met someone there?"

"Yeah, I told you an old friend was with m-"

"You expect me to believe that?" Jackson cut off, finally realizing why his friend was being so reluctant. If Mark had gone out drinking alone he most likely ended up meeting someone at the bar, maybe a girl that noticed him, and Jackson could imagine what happened next. Furrowing his eyebrow the raven suppressed the urge to explode at how idiotic that was, especially since they were preparing for their new comeback in a matter of weeks. If news broke that one of their members was seen with a random girl it would certainly affect them. "Now, like I told you last night, who was it?"

"It was no one." Mark said, feeling himself shrink back a little at the demanding voice. Despite being smaller than some of his members Mark never backed down when in an argument, but this time he knew he was at fault. "He said he wouldn't say anything."

The comment was said so reassuringly that Jackson almost missed the fact that Mark had suggested it had been a guy and without thinking he stepped forward to look Mark in his eyes. "What?"

"The guy I was with said he wouldn't tell anyone what happened."

Jackson tried his best not to grab the others shirt and demand Mark to explain what exactly he meant by that, but the urge passed as the thought of Mark being with another guy came into his mind. It made his heart sink. Not because he was against in such a relationship, no, Jackson wasn't so closed minded that he was bothered by such things. The problem was that picturing Mark, someone that looked too innocent to be the oldest of the group, in some man's arms, moaning and begging bothered him more than he believed it would.

"What was his name?" Jackson asked, knowing it probably wouldn't matter if he knew, but still wanting to find out more about the man.

"I-" Mark began, biting his bottom lip in hesitation before he let his head hang in defeat. "I don't remember."

The comment only served to make Jackson anger as he thought of his friend getting it on with a complete stranger. How irresponsible could the man be?

"For fucks sake Mark, how stupid can you be." The raven said with a sigh, letting one of his hands run across his hair as he looked up at the light on the ceiling. "How could you fuck a guy you just met?"

"What?"

"You even let him drop you off." Jackson continued as he missed the confused look Mark was giving him. "You better hope no one saw you guys."

"Jackson that isn't what happened." Mark tried to explain but his friend only shot him a cold look in response, obviously believing his friend was lying.

"What, am I wrong? Didn't he drop you off after you two fucked?"

"No." Mark finally spoke up with a voice that made Jackson pause with his accusations. "No, that isn't what happened. Far from it. But you obviously don't believe me enough to listen."

"Then what was it?"

"We met each other at the bar. We talked until I realized I was too tipsy to get home by myself and he was nice enough to offer me a ride." Mark explained, knowing he was admitting to getting drunk with a stranger, but that was better than letting Jackson think he had fucked a man he had just met. "And the reason I didn't tell you was because I was embarrassed to explain the situation."

He tried his best to maintain his anger, knowing if he started yelling it would grab the attention of the other's and Mark didn't want to explain the situation to his members. Not when he was already embarrassed about Jackson finding out. He knew his words had finally hit the other when Jackson looked apologetic as he stepped forward with his mouth open, seemingly lost for words.

"Ahh, Mark I'm- I'm the worst." He finally managed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that-"

Jackson paused to gather his thoughts before he explained himself. He could clearly see he had offended his friend, letting his thoughts run wild before he had gotten the whole story, and he tried his best to apologize.

"I was just mad that you were keeping something from me. Especially since I haven't seen you guys in a few weeks." Jackson explained.

"How did that lead to you thinking I slept with the guy?" Mark asked, calming his nerves a little as he listened to his friends words. He could understand why Jackson would feel like he was out of the loop when Mark was reluctant to tell him where he had been, especially since they were relatively close compared to the other members, but it still didn't explain why Jackson had accused him of sleeping around.

"I don't know, I guess I thought about the times I've been to the bar alone..."

Mark curled his fingers into the bottom of his shirt as he heard the comment knowing that, for Jackson, something like sleeping with the pretty girls he met at a bar wasn't uncommon. And if Jackson wasn't a few feet away looking like a kicked puppy Mark would have probably been angrier at the the other for admitting he slept around but there was no point in dwelling on feelings he never intended to act on.

Not that he thought that would change anything. Jackson was straight. And as much as Mark would like to believe his friend could perhaps entertain the idea of being with a guy if he managed to confess, Mark knew it would only be to keep the group together. Because if the older rapper confessed he knew it would tear the group apart. He had heard too many stories of friendships being ruined because someone decided to confess and Mark was not going to let that happen.

"Well we didn't fuck." Mark stated, making sure his friend got the message. The misunderstanding brought up a topic Mark would have liked to kept to himself, his interest in men, but he made sure to explain himself. "We just talked."

"Hmm." Jackson nodded in understanding and if Mark wasn't so uncomfortable with the whole situation he would've questioned why his friend would think he would sleep with a random guy of all people. Sure, if it was a girl, it wouldn't be a far fetched conclusions. But a guy?

Did Jackson know something? Or did he think Mark had slept with the person he had met at the bar simply because he had been reluctant to tell him anything last night. It made sense that hiding a one night stand was why Mark would get mad at Jackson and the blonde reasoned that was probably what his friend had thought last night.

"Now if that's all, I need to shower. I smell awful." He said as he stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed. He stripped out of his shirt a few seconds later when he heard the door close and silently let out a sigh of relief.

 _It was too early for a conversation like that._ Mark thought as he turned on the water seemingly forgetting about the encounter as the warm water washed away the remnants of last night.

* * *

By the time Mark walked out of the movie in the late afternoon he was feeling a lot better. The day had gone smoothly with the group hitting a few shopping places before they grabbed lunch at some Japanese restaurant nearby. JB had joined them for lunch before he and Jinyoung decided they wanted to head back to the dorms and relax, not really interested in the movie. Mark wanted to head back as well but he figured he still had a lot of time after the movie to relax and in the end accompanied the group to the movie.

As he walked out of the theater he was greeted with fans smiling happily and waving as they passed by. Mark smiled, giving them a small wave and wink before he reached one of the cars they had driven there with. Jinyoung and JB had ended up taking the other earlier after JB was dropped off by a company car for lunch. 

"Mark-hyung did you want to grab dinner with us?" Bambam spoke up as he seated himself in the backseat next to Yugyeom and Youngjae. "Jackson-hyung said he'd drop us off somewhere near the dorms before he heads out."

Turning his head questioningly Mark looked at his handsome friend in the drivers seat. "You're going somewhere?"

"Yeah, to grab dinner with Jooheon and a few of his friends." Jackson said, turning on the car and swiftly pulling out of the parking space. "You should come."

The suggestion caught Mark off guard and he paused to contemplate the offer. Jackson rarely went out with other members when he spent time with his friends, mostly because they saw each other too much to begin with, but even if he did it wouldn't be Mark. Most of the time JB or Jinyoung ended up going out with him since they tended to have friends in common considering they were the same age. Which lead Mark to wonder what Jackson was playing at.

"Hyung, that's unfair, you didn't even ask us!" Yugyeom whined in the backseat, before Bambam chimed in in agreement. "Yeah, what if we wanted to go!"

"I would offer, but I don't want to deal with you two getting drunk and having to drag you home." Jackson commented, "I know Mark-hyung will be responsible, plus the two of us haven't hung out in a while, it'd be fun."

"You'll come, right?" He offered, noting the way the blonde hesitated to accept, but Jackson wouldn't let him off easily. "I'm buying."

A few seconds later Mark nodded. "Sure, as long as you don't get wasted. You're worst than Yugyeom and Bambam when you're drunk."

"I would never do that." Jackson responded dramatically, placing one hand on his chest as he acted offend. The gestured made Mark laugh and all of a sudden he felt more comfortable agreeing to the offer.

* * *

They ended up in a large restaurant that seemed a little too fancy for the jeans and hoodie he was wearing but he figured Jackson's friends wanted a place with some privacy to catch up and the place fit the requirement. As they walked into the place Mark watched the pretty hostess greet them before she asked if they had reservation.

"It should be under Lee Jooheon." Jackson said, before the women checked the list.

"Yes, we have it here." She confirmed, "You still have a few minutes before five but feel free to make yourself comfortable in our waiting area."

Nodding, Jackson and Mark turned to take a seat in the small seating area next to the front entrance. There was quite a few people already seated at the place, and the pair decided to stand as they waited. Mark chose to take the time to look around the place, noting there were many important looking people seated at tables and he couldn't help but feel out of place. On top of that he wasn't completely comfortable with hanging out with Jackson friends considering he felt almost inferior when he was seated next to the raven. It wasn't like he felt like Jackson was better than him, but people tended to forget about Mark when Jackson was in the room, and he didn't want to spend the night being a third wheel to the rapper catching up with his friends.

But he figured it was already too late to cancel and Jackson was paying so even if anything he would still get some food out of the night.

As he pulled out his phone to check the time he heard the front door open again and instinctively looked up. He watched a stunning woman in a tight red dress stroll in, smiling as she waited for the person she came with to enter. He noted the way she immediately wrapped one of her arms into the crook of the man's elbow as he walked in and Mark froze as he met the man's eyes.

He silently watched as the man recognized him, eyes slightly widening in surprise, before he walked forward towards Mark.

"I see you're doing well." The stranger said, with a small smirk.

Mark almost cursed himself at his bad luck as he looked at the familiar face from the night before.


	3. Chapter 3

Mark tried to hide his shock, finding it utterly unbelievable that he was running into the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

"You too." He nodded his head, trying his best to ignore the look he was getting from Jackson.

"Are you having dinner?" The man asked and the blonde idol finally glanced towards the woman hanging off his arm. She was gorgeous and he slightly wondered if she was the man's girlfriend or wife. The pair certainly looked good together.

"Yes." Jackson responded, effectively shifting the attention to himself and Mark felt his heart sink as the pair regarded him. He really didn't want, nor need, the two men to introduce themselves, especially since Jackson liked to ask questions and he knew it wouldn't take long until he figured out how Mark knew the man.

"I'm Jackson Wang. Mark's friend." A smile plastered on his face as he pushed his hand out for a handshake.

"Sunghoon." A faint smile playing on his features as he accepted the handshake. Mark paused as he heard the name, wondering why it sounded familiar but he didn’t dwell on it as the older continued. "Mark's hyung."

The way the other said the words so casually caught Mark off guard, but he remained silent, knowing it wasn't the time to question the other. No, not when Jackson was a few feet away.

"The actor?" Jackson asked, looking between the two mildly surprised. This was certainly the first time hearing his friend knew Sung-hoon. The actor had been on the rise in the past year and although Jackson had never met the man before, he knew who he was.

As for Mark he felt realization sink in as he finally matched the face to the name. Sunghoon. He'd heard the name before, and most certainly seen the face, but now it was all coming together and it made him realize just how stupid he must’ve looked last night, getting drunk in front of the famous actor. Not to mention what happened afterwords.

"Yes." The older confirmed.

"Are you having dinner?"

"Yes, actually Ji-eun and I just finished a press conference and headed over here." The older man responded. "One of our mutual friends invited us out for a last minute dinner."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Song Ji-eun." The woman beside the man said, bowing slightly as she introduced herself. The two idols politely bowed and introduced themselves in response, before the group was interrupted as a familiar man approached them.

"Oh, you guys are all here." Jooheon said as he stopped in front of the group, smiling as he noticed Jackson. "Man, I haven't seen you in awhile."

"You too." Jackson replied, not bothering to hide his wide smile. It was always nice to catch up with a friend he hadn't seen in a while, especially since Jooheon was one of those people that he kept in touch with on a regular basis.

"Nice to see you, Mark-hyung." Jooheon added as he noticed the older man and Mark smiled politely.

"You too, Jooheon."

"I see you met Sunghoon-hyung and Ji-eun." He added, looking towards the other pair. "Thanks for coming, I know it was last minute."

"It was no problem." Sunghoon said, smiling before he shifted his attention to the blonde idol. "I'm happy to catch up with everyone.”

“Are the other's coming?" He swiftly added, shifting his gaze back to Jooheon.

"Yeah, some of the members said they're on their way." Jooheon said. "But let's get seated first."

It didn't take too long before the group was seated around a long table near the back of the restaurant. And Mark would've been relieved that they were closer to eating if not for the fact that he was seated next to Sunghoon near the end of the table. He almost kicked himself as he looked across the table to see Jackson speaking happily with Jooheon, clearly regretting his decision to sit down first. In the end, Jackson sat next to Jooheon on one side of the table and Sunghoon, Ji-eun and Mark sat on the other, with Sunghoon in the middle. There were a few empty seats left near Jooheon and Ji-eun and Mark figured they were meant for Jooheon's members when they decided to show up.

"How are you doing?" Sunghoon asked, as he turned his attention towards the younger man.

"Good." He answered, clearly feeling uncomfortable with the situation. It wasn't because he didn't like the man, no, Sunghoon seemed like a nice person, but that didn’t mean he liked recalling all the bad decisions he'd made the night before. And with the actor next him, that’s all he could think about. He barely remembered the conversation he had had with the brunette but he couldn't help but feel embarrassed at how careless he had been. What did Sunghoon think of him? Maybe he thought he was some idol that didn't know his limit when it came to alcohol. Or maybe he was a pitiful guy that rambled on about his problems last night. Mark wasn't sure what happened at the bar yesterday, but he knew they had spoken about something. And he only hoped he hadn't revealed the reason he had ended up there in the first place.

"Hmm, that's good to hear." The brunette said, as he flipped through the menu.

They remained silent shortly after, with Mark listening casually to the conversation between Jackson and Jooheon. Apparently they were talking about a rapper that had just dropped a new album and Mark ended up commenting every so often when he had an opinion about a particular song. And not too long after the waiter arrived asking the group what they liked to drink.

"Just water's fine." Mark said politely, before he looked down at the menu. The place they had chosen had a western setting to it and Mark immediately looked through the menu to see what he wanted to eat. He was mindful that Jackson had agreed to pay as he looked through the soups and salads before he decided to get a chicken dish that came with a baked potato and side salad.

"Not drinking?" Sunghoon whispered from beside him once the waiter finished taking their drink and left.

"No." Mark answered, clearly hearing the teasing way the question was said and he resisted the urge to shoot the other an un-amused glare.

A few seconds later he heard a soft chuckle as the man leaned in to whisper his response. "Don't worry Mark-shi, I won't break my promise, so don't act so nervous. Let's enjoy the evening. I'd like to get to know you better."

Once he was finished he pulled away, smiling down at the other as he shifted his attention to the woman on his left and Mark bit his lip as knew there was no point in acting so cold towards the other if the man wasn't going to say anything about last night, especially since they were supposedly already friends.

"Alright." He answered, once the actor turned his attention back to him.

"Great." The man nodded as the three began to speak. Their conversation was casual but Mark found it interesting as he heard about how their day gone. The pair was currently promoting their latest project, a drama, and Mark listened as Ji-eun explained how filming had gone.

"The location's we filmed at were beautiful." Ji-eun explained. "The story was about old high school lovers that meet one another years later. Sunghoon-oppa plays a single father that lives in the country side and I'm a teacher that moves to his town. The story is very beautiful."

"It sounds beautiful." Mark added, finding the plot line interesting. He didn't have much time to watch television, much less a romantic drama, but he still wouldn't mind checking it out. Especially since he now knew the two main leads. "I'll make sure to watch it."

"Thank you, Mark-shi." The girl said, smiling brightly.

"No need to be so formal." Mark insisted and the woman nodded as the drinks finally arrived. By the time the waiter had taken their orders and left them once again, Mark had gotten a little more comfortable and allowed himself to relax a little.

"Do you go out like this often?" Ji-eun asked, this time casually, as she sipped on some pink drink she had ordered.

"No, not usually." He admitted, ignoring the small smile the man next to him was giving him. "We don't get much time off when we're close to a comeback."

"Oh, that must be hard." The woman said and Sunghoon leaned in a little to whisper his thoughts. "So, I'm guessing last night wasn't planned?"

"No." Mark responded quietly, shifting his attention towards the actress who was checking something on her phone, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. "But I'd appreciate it if you stop bringing it up."

"Sorry, sorry... I didn't mean anything by it." The man chuckled, before adding. "But you're oddly cute when you're angry."

At the unexpected complement, Mark could feel his cheeks heat up but he quickly willed it away, speaking up once again to continue his conversation with Ji-eun.

"How about you two? Do you get a lot of free time?" He asked, as the actor pulled away and pretended the exchange hadn't happened.

* * *

On the other side of the table, Jackson and Jooheon shifted from catching up with one another to speaking about ideal things and eventually Jackson brought up a topic he had been wondering since they sat down.

"How do you know Sunghoon?" Jackson asked quietly as he looked at the actor in question.

"A few months back. One of my friends introduced us at a club. He’s not much of the partying type though, I think one of his juniors in his company was having a birthday that time." Jooheon explained, drinking from his glass of water. "Why?"

"No reason." Jackson said, trying his best not to think too much into the situation. It wasn't like he didn't know who the man was, because he did, but he certainly didn't know much. Maybe that's why he found it odd that the actor was acquainted with Mark who was someone that tended to keep his group of friends small.

"But I have to admit, I'm surprised Mark-hyung knows him." Jooheon added. "He's got a bit of a reputation."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, he's a good friend, and takes care of people younger than him when we go out for dinner and stuff," The idol explained. "But he's never serious about relationships. He plays around a lot, or at least from what I’ve heard."

"So Ji-eun?" Jackson asked, looking at the girl who was speaking with Mark about something.

"I think they're sticking with one another until the promotion is over. They're not dating though." Jooheon explained. "But that doesn't mean he isn't interested."

"Well, she is pretty." The Hong Kong native admitted.

"Although, I don't think that's who he had his eyes on tonight." Jooheon admitted, turning his attention back to see Sunghoon lean in to whisper something to Mark. "I mean, maybe Mark-hyung's relationship with him is different, but he seems interested."

Now, Jackson had seen his friend getting hit on before. It was expected really, with how attractive Mark was, but it was the first time seeing a handsome actor such as Sung-hoon do it. Before the only guys that were interested were fanboys that cheered the LA idol on at concerts or interviewers that complimented the rapper a little too much and most time's Mark just smiled and accepted the attention. This time however, Jackson could see the way his friend seemed to stay close to the older man, letting the man whisper into his ear as they spoke. And he wasn't sure why, but he didn't like it.

"I don't think hyung is interested in that kind of thing though." Jackson stated, knowing that although the blonde didn't mind skinship, he had never seemed interested in men.

"Well, he doesn't seem to mind right now." Joo-heon said, letting his eyes glance one more time to the pair to see Mark blush at something the older man had said and this time Jackson frowned slightly. They certainly looked close.

"Oh, Kihyun-hyung said they're coming." Jackson heard, "They said they're bringing a few other people too."

Nodding the raven leaned back in his seat and pushed his previous thoughts aside. There was no point in worrying about something he didn't know was true, and even if Sunghoon was interested, Mark wasn't interested in relationships at the moment, not when they all had a comeback coming up in less than a month.

"Actually, I wanted to introduce you to someone." Jooheon continued as he scrolled through his phone. "I know it's been a few months since your last relationship and I think it's about time to get you back on the market."

Jackson perked up at the suggestion, knowing his friend was up to something. "Someone? As in?"

"She's an actress, a close friend of Minhyuk-hyung's." His friend explained, smiling slyly as he tilted his phone screen for Jackson to see. "She's a few years older though, but I think you two would look good together."

Jackson paused as he looked at the phone to see a gorgeous woman smiling. She was certainly his type, but the Hong Kong native knew this wasn't the time for a relationship. Not when he barely had enough free time as it was. There was no way he would have time to give a new girlfriend his time of day, much less to develop a proper relationship with her. And that was something Jackson didn't want to do. He didn't want to string her along and waste her time.

"No." He said, "I don't have the time."

"I know you were going to say that, but this isn't like before, she's an actress, she knows how you're not going to have the time to spend time with her." Jooheon explained. "She won't hold it against you. At least meet her."

"When would I have the time to meet her?"

"In like ten minutes when she gets here with the others?" Jooheon suggested, smirking as he saw the glare he got from his friend.

"Jooheon..."

"Trust me, if it doesn't go well tonight, we can pretend it was simply a friendly meeting."

Jackson ultimately let out a sigh as he slumped a bit in his seat, knowing he shouldn't be too surprised with his friends actions. Jooheon had been there when he broke up with his last girlfriend and he could tell his friend felt bad that he wasn't able to do more to comfort him. Although, Jackson didn't blame the other idol, he figured this was Jooheon's way of getting him back on his feet.

"Fine." He finally said as he gave up his protests and shifted his attention back across the table. Letting himself ask a question he had been wondering since he met Sunghoon.

"Mark-hyung, how long have you known Sunghoon-sunbae." Jackson asked suddenly, drawing his friend's attention from the conversation he was having.

"Jackson, you don't have to be formal with me." Sunghoon said.

The idol nodded slowly as heard the comment, smiling as he looked at the older. The man was certainly handsome, as expected from an actor, and Jackson wondered just how the blonde had managed to meet him. For the most part, Mark tended to spend most of his time with Got7, and when he went out with other friends it was usually to somewhere small, certainly no where he could meet Sunghoon.

"And as for how long Mark and I have known each other..." The man said. "Not too long, just recently actually."

"How did you two me—" Jackson continued until he heard a chrous of voices and turned to see the other Monsta X members walking towards the table. He also noticed a few people he didn't recognize, before his eyes landed on the girl Jooheon had just shown him a picture of.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here." Minhyuk said as they all seated themselves, the pretty actress next to Jackson, and immediately the raven could tell his friend had probably told his members to make sure she ended up next to him.

The waiter arrived a few minutes later after everyone had introduced themselves and had taken the drinks and orders of the new arrivals before he left again. And by that point the previous topic was completely forgotten as Jackson began to speak with the woman next to him, Kang So-ra.

* * *

As the meals finally arrived and the dinner went on, Jackson almost forgot about the reason he had come out in the first place, too lost in speaking with the girl next to him and before he knew it the evening was turning into night. He had been able to make small talk with everyone at the table, but eventually he was swept up in a conversation about the actresses travels and before he knew it he had forgotten about the rest of the group.

However, eventually he turned his attention away as he began to feel tired to notice Mark's seat was empty and turned toward Jooheon. He had spoken with the LA rapper a few times throughout the evening but for the most part Mark spoke with the two actors next to him or the members of Monsta X as they ate.

"Where did Mark-hyung go?" He asked as his friend looked up from his phone.

"He said he needed to go to the bathroom?"

"Alright, I think we might leave soon, it's getting pretty late." Jackson said, as he stood to go look for his friend.

As Jackson walked towards the washroom's he absentmindedly noticed Sunghoon's seat had been empty too and as he pushed the door open to washroom he wasn't surprised to see the pair near the sink. What he was surprised about was the fact Mark was pushed against the counter, chin tilted up as he locked lips with the handsome actor. And before Jackson could stop himself he closed the door loud enough behind him to draw the attention of the pair. He watched as his friend whipped his head towards the noise, eyes wide as he spotted the raven and Jackson waited for the other to say something, anything really. But—

"Jackson..." was all he managed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer that the characters outside of Got7 may not be accurate to their personalities. Just a fair warning to those who may recognize them. Also their ages are slightly different as well so if you have any questions feel free to ask. Thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Mark surprised himself at how easily he was able to chat with the two actors as they waited for their food. Maybe it was because Ji-eun filled up the silence with her constant chatter and he appreciated the way the girl enthusiastically spoke about her latest projects. She truly had a passion for what she did and he couldn't help but find that refreshing. On the other hand, Sunghoon stayed silent for most of their conversation, speaking up once in awhile, but otherwise staying quiet.

Eventually however, the rest of the group arrived and Mark felt relieved as he saw the familiar faces. Although he wasn't particularly close with the other Monsta X members, he still preferred to be in large groups, finding it comforting to have others to fill the silence. Unfortunately, the rapper's mood soon started to diminish as he watched Jackson begin to speak with the woman next to him.

It wasn't like he hadn't seen the raven with others before, no, not when Jackson tended to get pretty intimate with the girls he met at bars when they went out, which wasn't often, but Mark still remembered. How could he forget, when he wanted to be one of those girls hanging off of Jackson as he whispered sweet nothings to them. But maybe because of those incidents it made him feel numb to see his friend flirt with the beautiful actress next to him. 

It reminded him that Jackson would never be his, and the sooner he came to terms with that, the sooner he could move on with his life, but that didn't make it any easier to forgot his feelings; not when they had grown stronger over the years until all Mark wanted was Jackson.

"How did you sleep?" Sunghoon asked, breaking Mark's train of thought and causing the other to shift his attention away from his meal.

"Good. I slept well." Mark admitted, recalling the way he had fallen asleep minutes after he hit his bed. "And thank you again for taking care of me when I..."

"No need to thank me. It was my pleasure." The actor spoke up, knowing what the other meant. "Besides we had a good time before you were completely out of it."

Mark simply nodded his head, letting his fork pick at his salad as he tried to hide the embarrassment of forgetting about their night together.

"Yeah."

"Although, I'm surprised you opened up so much to me, considering you're an idol and all." The man continued, smirking at the way Mark's eyes slightly widened at the comment. "I mean, I didn't mind listening to your problems but you're pretty lucky I'm tight lipped. If they got out, it wouldn't be good, would it?"

Mark remained silent for a few seconds, letting the words sink in. "What problems exactly?"

"Did you forget?" The actor asked, looking a little puzzled, but Mark could tell there was something almost dangerous about the look the other was giving him and the rapper knew he was being played with.

"Why don't you remind me?" He asked, watching a small smile form on Sunghoon's face as he looked at Mark.

"Hm, where should I start?" Sunghoon asked to no one in particular, "Maybe when you spoke about how tired you were from preparing for your newest comeback? Or that you sometimes miss home? You even talked about your love life." 

"Love life?"

"For the looks of things you were too drunk at that point to remember anything." Sunghoon finally concluded, "And I'm guessing you don't know what exactly you told me?"

"I didn't—" He began to defend himself before realizing there was no point in lying about it. Sunghoon was smart enough to know he was lying, and by this point Mark was sure the older man had had his suspicions from the beginning. Why wouldn't he when Mark had probably poured his heart out last night only to act cold and distant the next day. The idol figured his odd behavior had tipped the man off. "I mean—It wasn't my intention to forget I just—"

"You don't need to explain anything to me. I've had nights when I’m too drunk to remember what I said too." The older said reassuringly, “I'll tell you what happened if your interested, but for your sake I’d prefer if we were alone.”

“Why don't you meet me in the washroom in a few minutes?" The actor suggested.

"Alright." He said after a second of hesitation and shortly after Sunghoon excused himself and headed towards the washrooms, leaving Mark to let his thoughts wonder. He looked up for a moment to see everyone else wrapped up in conversations and the rapper almost felt thankful at the fact as it allowed him to compose himself before he spoke with Sunghoon. He wasn't sure what he revealed the night before, but he couldn't afford not to know. Even if it ended up being an insignificant detail about his love life, Mark needed to know what Sunghoon knew.

He spent the next few minutes eating silently, laughing a little as he heard the story Jooheon told the rest of the group before he excused himself. He tried his best to act normally as he noticed the way Jackson hadn't even looked his way when he left, too immersed in speaking with So-ra, and despite himself he couldn't help but feel a little unwanted.

Not that it mattered anyway. Even if Jackson gave him attention and affection it wouldn't be the same as when he did it to the women he was interest in. For Jackson, it was a friendly gesture and nothing more. And with that thought Mark frowned as he finally pushed the washroom door open to enter the nearly empty room.

 "You don't need to look so mad, Mark-shi. I'm not here to cause any problems." Sunghoon spoke up from where he was standing near the sink as he noticed Mark's expression.

"I'm not mad."

"You shouldn't lie to your elders." The actor warned, but the teasing smile told Mark the other didn't care. "What happened to your carefree attitude from last night?" 

"I'm not drunk anymore." Mark answered, walking forward to stop a few feet away from the other. He quickly let his eyes sweep over the washroom stalls, making sure there was no one there before he locked eyes with the brunette. "And I'd prefer to get this over with fast, anyone could walk in at any moment." 

"We could do this somewhere else if you want?"

"No." Mark answered almost immediately, knowing that if they went off somewhere it would only raise more questions and that wasn't something the rapper wanted. Not when he knew Jackson was already suspicious of their relationship if his questioning from earlier was anything to go by. "Here is fine."

"Well..." Sunghoon began, stepping forward with a smirk. "Last night you told me a lot things, but when it came to your love life, you said something pretty interesting."

"Which was?"

"You told me you didn't know how to deal with your feelings. You said that you liked someone you could never have." He explained as he inched closer, invading Mark's personal space. The gesture caused the idol to step back, pushing his body against the counter as he looked up into the other's amused eyes.

 "Is that all?" He asked, knowing he was playing with something dangerous. "Did I say anything else?"

"Like who you were talking about?" The actor asked, tilting his head questioningly before he shook it in response. "No, you didn't but..." 

"But?"

"You did say, he'll never look at me the way I want him to." Sunghoon said and Mark felt his heart drop as he heard the words. He should have been relieved that he hadn't been stupid enough to tell the man who he was in love with, but the fact that he admitted it was a man wasn't any better. In fact, the blonde thought that it might be just as bad, especially since if such a rumor came out it could potentially ruin his career, or at least affect it at the bare minimum.

"Don't look so shocked, I'm not bothered by it and like I said before I wouldn't tell anyone." The brunette said reassuringly. "Besides, I could help you if you're interested." 

"Help me?" Marked echoed as he lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "How could you help me?"

"Well, you did tell me you've never acted on your feelings, which means you've never been with a man, right?" Sunghoon asked. Nodding in response Mark felt the other shift closer, letting his hands grip on the edge of the counter to effectively trap the idol and immediately the blonde realized the others intentions. Sunghoon was interested in him.

"Then how do you know you couldn't fall for someone else?" The actor asked. 

"Are you talking about yourself."

A soft chuckle escaped the other lips as he leaned closer to whisper in Mark's ear, letting his body push closer towards the shorter man. "Is that who you want me to be talking about?"

Mark wasn't sure why he let the conversation continue once he found out what the other knew about his love life, but he couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he heard the deep voice whisper to him. "No."

"Are you sure?" Sunghoon questioned as he pulled away to let his fingers run under the blonde's chin before he tilted it up to look into Mark eyes, smirking as he continued to speak. "Shall we test it out?" 

The action was slow and Mark knew he had enough time to push the other away before their lips touched, but for some reason he didn't resist. Maybe because it felt good allowing someone to show him the affection he had wanted for so long, or maybe because he thought this was a way of moving on, he wasn't sure but before he could think about what the kiss actually meant he heard a loud noise and looked up to see Jackson standing in the doorway. His expression was a mixture of shock and anger and Mark let the other's name slip from his lip as he tried to explain himself.

"Jackson..."

"We're leaving." Was the immediate answer and Mark was taken back at the cold tone the other used. He was clearly mad and the LA born idol knew there was no point in trying to explain himself at the moment, not when Jackson was glaring daggers at the man next to him.

"I'll be right out." Mark managed to say, watching his friend's frown deepen as he waited by the door. "You can go."

"I'm waiting here." Jackson said, and the blonde hesitantly shifted his attention from the Hong Kong native to the man standing in front of him. He felt uncomfortable as he looked up to lock eyes with the actor and he leaned in to whisper into his ear, too embarrassed to say his words out loud.

"You might be right..." He said, ignoring how bold he was being, "But let’s take this slow, get to know each other before this goes any further."

"My pleasure." Sunghoon said as he pulled out his phone and pushed it towards Mark. On the screen a new contact page was open and Mark quickly added his number, before returning the phone, stepping back afterwords to distance himself from the actor.

"Bye, Sunghoon-hyung." He finally said as headed towards the door to follow Jackson out of the washroom, missing the way the actor smirked as he heard the familiar name. 

As they walked back to their table Mark trailed behind the other, knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut until they were alone, especially since he didn't want to cause a scene in the otherwise calm restaurant.

"Jooheon, we're heading out now." Jackson said, smiling as a most of the table looked up from their conversations.

"So soon?"

"Yeah, we have an early morning tomorrow and I'm still jet-lagged from my late flight last night." Jackson lied, and Mark simply nodded as Jooheon glanced at him for confirmation. 

"Okay, I'll text you tomorrow then. I want to hangout again before you go on tour." The other idol said before he added. "You too Mark-hyung, it was nice catching up." 

"Sure, we'll try to arranged it." Mark responded, smiling a little as Jackson pulled out a few bills and placed it on the table.

"That should be enough, thanks for a good evening everyone." He said as he politely waved to the group, pausing as he noticed So-ra pull out her phone. 

"Jackson, it was nice meeting you, we should stay in touch." She said, as she unlocked her phone and opened her contacts.

"Of course." The idol nodded, swiftly taking the phone and typing in his number. "It was nice meeting you too, noona."

The exchange was quick and if Mark didn't know any better he would've thought it was a friendly gesture but he'd been with Jackson long enough to know when his friend was interested in someone. And from the way the rapper smiled brightly as he handed the phone back to the woman, Mark knew Jackson liked her. How couldn't he when she was a stunning accomplished actress that kept Jackson's attention the whole night.

But nonetheless the moment was over before the blonde could dwell on it and soon he was exiting the restaurant with Jackson to be greeted by the cold night air. He silently followed his friend towards the car, making his way into the passengers seat as he watched Jackson settle into the drivers seat and he waited patiently for his friend to speak, knowing there was no point avoiding the subject.

"What was that?" Jackson asked, his eyes looking at the steering wheel instead of Mark and the blonde hesitated to answer.

"It wasn't what it looked like."

"Wasn't it? Or did you accidentally let him shove his tongue down your throat." Jackson accused, finally turning his attention to the blonde. "You're lucky I was the one that entered that washroom."

"I know." 

"You know, yet you still kissed him. What the fuck were you thinking?" Jackson continued to question, his voice raising as he became angrier. "And since when were you interested in guys?"

"I don't know..." Mark answered, feeling his emotions well up as he saw Jackson's disapproving look. "I wasn't thinking, I was confused about what I was feeling but..."

"But?"

"I didn't hate it— the kiss I mean."

Mark paused as he waited for Jackson to react, to say something about the confession, but what he got was far from what he expected. "Are you experimenting or something with him?"

"What?"

"I mean—are you interested in him? Or is it because he came onto you?" Jackson questioned, "I don't care if you're interested in guys, but if you've never been with one before and you want to know what it feels like, he's not the guy to choose."

"And you know who I should choose?" Mark asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he heard Jackson's words. He didn't like how overbearing the other was acting, as if he knew what was best for Mark, and he didn't hesitate to question the raven. "Why exactly?"

"I at least know when someone's looking for a quick hook up, and you don't deserve something like that. Not when you're not sure about your feelings." Jackson explained, "At least choose a guy that won't hurt you."

"Oh, and I can just go out and find a guy that's willing to give me the time of day, with my busy schedule and media around us every time I go out, who else can I find." Mark said sarcastically, annoyed with the way Jackson made it sound like it was easy to find someone. "And how do you know Sunghoon is not worth my time."

"He isn't." Jackson immediately said.

"If this is because we kissed in public I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Mark said, puzzled at why Jackson was so adamant about not being with Sunghoon. He wasn't sure where their relationship would go, especially since the kiss had been in the spur of the moment, but that didn't mean he wanted to give up before the relationship started.

Even if his feelings for Jackson were still prominent, Mark wanted to take a chance a see if he could move on and Sunghoon seemed like someone he could fall for.

"That isn't it." The raven said, "I just don't think he's— I don't want you to get hurt."

"Jackson, I'm not a child." The blonde said, reminding the other he wasn't someone that needed to be protected, even if he somewhat appreciated how concerned the other was.

"I know that, but—" Jackson began, stopping as he tried to convey his thoughts, "Couldn't it be me?"

Mark wasn't sure what to say as he heard the question spill out of the other's mouth, feeling his heartbeat quicken as he processed the words. And once he did he clamped his mouth shut, trying his best to keep himself calm as he spoke up.

"What?"

"I mean, if you want to know what it's like to be with a guy, I'm willing to show you." Jackson explained.

Mark would've laughed at how cruel the words were if it weren't for the fact that they hurt more than anything. To have the person he loved suggest something like that so casually was like a sick joke and he slightly wondered if someone, somewhere, was laughing at how ironic it was that Jackson of all people was doing it.

"Jackson, I'm being serious here." Mark said.

"So am I." Jackson answered, looking Mark in the eyes as he spoke. "If you think I'm playing around, you're wrong. I've been with guys before, if that's what your worried about—that I won't know what it's like, I do." 

The confession felt like a slap in the face and Mark wasn't sure what to do as he replayed the words in his head. Jackson had been with guys before. He almost couldn't believe it if it wasn't for the fact that the other said the words so seriously that it left no doubt in Mark's mind that his friend wasn't lying, and he tried his best not to show how hurt he was at the reality of the words.

Nonetheless, he composed himself enough to speak up. "You don't know what you're saying, Jacks."

"I do." Jackson said, reaching forward to run his hand alone the nape of Mark's neck, pulling the other forward to prove his point. "You trust me right?"

Mark wanted to say no, to pull away and tell the other how much of a mistake he was making, that it would ruin their relationship if they went any further. He wanted to say all those things, but the words never came out. Instead, he nodded his head slowly, biting his lip as he felt Jackson's breath on his ear and before he knew it a pair of lips were ghosting over his.

"Can I kiss you? " Jackson whispered as he leaned forward watching Mark slowly nodded before he pushed thier lips together.

The kiss started off slowly, small bites and nips as they tasted each other's lips, until Mark slowly opened his mouth, granting Jackson entrance. It didn't take long after that for the kisses to grow heated, with the blonde moaning as he felt Jackson run his fingers through his hair, playing with the blonde strands as they kissed.

For Mark, Jackson's kiss was everything he had though it would be. Aggressive yet gentle, demanding yet it pleased Mark all the same and the blonde rapper had to admit Jackson was certainly a good kisser. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few minutes before they both pulled back, out of breathe and certainly turned on.

"So?" Jackson asked, panting as he leaned back on his seat. “Are you going to let me show you?”

Mark knew he was playing with fire, knew in the end he would be the one getting hurt, but he ignored all the warnings signs as he reached out and let himself get burned anyway.

“Okay.”


	5. Chapter 5

The drive back to the dorms was filled with the soft hum of the radio and Jackson spent most of his time focusing on the road instead of the blonde next to him. He could tell from the corner of his eye that the other was silently looking out the window, watching the buildings pass them by and the raven wondered what was running through Mark's head at the moment.

As for him, he was letting his impulsive actions sink in. He never intended to kiss Mark, in fact he had wanted to lecture the blonde until he understood the severity of his actions. To mess around with someone in a public place was bad enough, but doing it with Sunghoon of all people was down right careless. Jackson couldn't imagine what would have happened if someone other than him had walked in. Or if he had walked in a few minutes later.

Would Mark be wrapped up in the actors arms, propped up against the counter as they kissed? He wasn't sure, but he didn't intend to let that ever happen, not when the other rapper seemed so confused as he confessed he enjoyed the kiss. Maybe that's why Jackson had offered to show him what it felt like, because he didn't want Mark to be lead down a path that would only get him hurt. And Jackson could tell Sunghoon would hurt him.

"Hey, you know this thing— it's not going to change our friendship, right?" Jackson finally spoke up, trying his best to put the other at ease, sensing that Mark was obviously thinking something over. Unfortunately, the raven missed the way Mark furrowed his eyebrows as he turned to answer.

"Of course, Jacks. Don't worry, we'll still be friends, it's just—" Mark spoke. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"You mean messing around with a guy?" Jackson asked, knowing he might've come on too strong when he offered to help. He knew someone that felt confused and unsure about their feelings might be apprehensive when it came to taking the next step, especially someone like Mark who tended to think things over before he did anything. Mark was level headed and rarely made impulsive decisions, so Jackson understood why the other was hesitant.

"I mean messing around with you." Mark clarified, and Jackson tried his best not feel too offended from the confession. Of course he knew there would be people that didn't find him attractive, or didn't see him as their type, but it never occurred to Jackson that Mark would be one of them. And he might've been alright with the notion if not for the fact that he'd seen Sunghoon all over Mark less than an hour ago. What did the actor have that he didn't?

"Am I not your type?" He asked, glancing to his side as they came to a stop at a traffic light.

He watched as Mark's lips turned into a line as he gave the other an un-amused look. "If you're asking if I find you attractive, you already know the answer, but we're members, if we screw this up it'll ruin the group."

Jackson almost let out a sigh of relief as he noticed the uncertainty in his friend's eyes. It wasn't that Mark didn't want him, he was just worried it would change things between them and he smiled a little as the light turned green.

"You don't need to worry." Jackson reassured, "Think of it as me simply helping you out and if things get too complicated you can stop this anytime you want."

"Like friends with benefits?" Mark asked, and Jackson paused as he heard the phrase. He hadn't thought much about what he was offering but to put it simply, Mark was right. And for some reason Jackson didn't seem too bothered by the revalation. Not if Mark was alright with it that is, because as much as Jackson screwed around with people in the past he'd never had a no strings attach relationship— not when he was too busy to meet up with someone just to fuck—and the prospect excited him. Especially when he thought about having one with Mark of all people, not that he'd ever entertained the idea before, but now knowing the LA born idol's interests aligned with his, he wouldn't mind it.

Although there was something about the phrase that rubbed him the wrong way.

"You make it sound like I'm doing this just to sleep with you." He whined before adding, "I'm looking out for you, hyung."

"I just wanted to understand what you meant when you said you'd help me." Mark said as he rolled his eyes, ignoring the other's childish behaviour. "Knowing you, you don't think things through before you talk."

"Hey!" Jackson spoke up and he heard the small laugh that escaped the others lips seconds later, breaking the tension that had formed since they had kissed. "I'm not messing around."

"Alright, I get it."

"Good, but—" The Hong Kong native said, a teasing smile on his lips as he pulled into an empty parking space in front of their building. "Don't fall for me."

"You wish." Was all he heard as he exited the car, but unfortnately he missed the sad smile on Mark's face as he said the words.

* * *

The next morning Mark groaned as he heard the loud ring of his alarm and he wanted nothing more than to shut it off and fall back into the warmth of his bed. Unfortunately he knew that would only postpone the inevitable and if he didn't get up he'd get an earful from Jaebum or one the managers. Sighing the blonde reluctantly got up, dragging himself to the connecting bathroom before he began brushing his teeth. As he looked himself in the mirror he recalled the events of yesterday, frowning as he remembered his conversation with Jackson. He surprised himself at how calm he had been during their drive home, as he questioned Jackson about what exactly he was offering, and although he seemed indifferent to the proposition, his emotions had been all over the place as he tried to come to terms with what he had gotten himself into.

He never imagined he'd end up in such a situation, having Jackson of all people suggest a relationship like this, and although he knew he was walking a thin line, he didn't care. Even if Jackson had made it clear to that their relationship wouldn't change, that they would still be friends when this was over and done with, he still had a small sliver of hope that maybe things would be different, maybe Jackson would start to look at him differently.

Leaning forward Mark spit the toothpaste into the sink as he finished brushing his teeth before he continued with his morning routine. The schedule for the day was relatively tamed considering they were preparing for a comeback but Mark didn't complain, knowing that once they finally did have their comeback they wouldn't have much time for anything.

"Youngjae, wake up, you're going to be late." He said as he walked back into the shared room, freshly showered and dressed.

"It's too early for this." The brunette said, yawning loudly as he sat up in the bed. Mark only laughed in response as he exited the room and headed towards the kitchen. It was JB's turn to make breakfast and he wasn't surprised to see the second oldest already setting the table with the different dishes he had prepared. Out of the whole group, their leader was always the most responsible and Mark tended to be envious at the reliable aura the other gave off. Of course, being the oldest the rest of the group respected him, but Mark knew there was something about Jaebum that caused others to listen to him when he spoke. If he wasn't a singer, Mark could definitely see the man being some type of boss and he suppressed a laugh at the thought of JB ordering people around.

"Is Jackson up?" Mark asked, as he settled himself in one of the chairs.

"I think so, he seemed pretty tired when he got home last night." JB said, "How was dinner?"

"Alright. Jooheon brought the other members. I got to talk to Minhyuk for a bit.” He said, finding it nice to catch up with the other idol even if most of the night he had spoken with Sunghoon. “It was fun.”

JB softest hummed in response before he spoke up.

"And how was the night before?" Jaebum continued, catching Mark's gaze as he spoke.

"What?"

"When you went out after we went to bed." He clarified and the blonde felt his stomach drop as he realized what the man was implying.

"Did Jackson tell you?" He asked, knowing that the other was the only other person to know he had left, although he doubted the raven would tell anyone.

"I heard you leave." Jaebum answered, as he placed the last dish on the table and settled down in the seat in front of Mark. His gaze was indifferent but Mark could tell the other was mad.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, shifting his eyes else where. "I didn't mean to lie to you."

"Where'd you go?"

"No where." He answered, "No where important. It won't happen again."

"Was it a hook up?"

"No."

"Was it because of Jackson?" The question seemed innocent enough, if it weren't for the fact that Mark knew exactly what the man was implying. He didn't think he had been obvious about his affection towards the Hong Kong native, but from the looks of things Jaebum had had his suspicions all along. And for some reason, Mark didn't have it in him to deny the suggestion, instead he let the silence speak for itself. And before the conversation went any further, Bambam and Yugyeom had entered the kitchen, effectively stopping the exchange, not that Mark relished in the idea of continuing it.

"Good morning." Bambam yawned as he sat down with Yugyeom waving a little as he took the chair next to the oldest.

They started eating moments later when the remaining members filed into the kitchen, dressed for the day, and Mark avoided looking at Jackson, only sparing the other a glance before he returned to his food. Luckily the conversations was relatively tamed as they began to discuss the schedule and Mark only hoped by the end of day he wouldn't be so unnerved.

* * *

"Welcome guys, glad to have you here." The radio host said as he looked around the table to greet the boys, "We're going to introduce you guys in a few minutes."

"Thanks for having us." Jaebum answered as the others ideally chatted with one another as they waited for there interview to start. For Mark, he ended up in between Jackson and Jinyoung and he was happy to have Bambam next to the Hong Kong native to occupy his attention for the time being. As much as how well the conversation had gone last night, Mark still felt some tension between them and although Jackson acted like nothing had changed, for Mark they had. Because in the matter of one day he had gone from attempting to giving up on Jackson to being friends with benefits. Unfortunately, before he could dwell on what that truly meant for their relationship, the interview started and Mark shifted attention back to the hosts.

"Welcome back everyone, hope you're enjoying your weekend so far." The man said, "Today we've got some special guests that I'm excited to introduce you to. They're one of the hottest groups out there, with their new comeback, we've got GOT7!"

"Thank you, we are GOT7!" The group said before JB spoke up. "Thank you for having us."

"No problem, glad to see you again." The female host said as she shuffled through some papers. "I know you guys don't have much time since you're preparing for your latest comeback, but we're always happy to have you."

"Thank you." Jinyoung answered.

The interview continued relatively smoothly after the introductions, with Jinyoung and Jaebum explaining the concept for their lastest mini album and how the members were doing with preparing for their comeback. Jackson was his usual self, keeping his answers lively and the conversation flowing easily and Mark began to feel more comfortable as the interview continued, that is until they started answering fan questions.

"Alright, now we have a segment here where fans can send in questions they want to ask you guys." The host said, "The first one is from Yuna and she asks, if you could choose a member to go on a trip with, who would it be, and why?"

Mark silently listened as they slowly made their way down to line, each member explaining who they wanted and why. He wasn't surprised when he heard Yugyeom or Bambam choose one another, considering how close they were, neither was he surprised to hear Youngjae chose JB but when it got to Jackson he shifted his gaze to see what the other had to say.

"I'd want to go on a trip with Bambam." Jackson spoke up, smiling brightly as he looked at the Thai idol next to him. "It'd be fun to go on a trip with just the two of us. I'd want to go to Hong Kong and show him around, like when we went to Thailand."

Mark knew there was no point in thinking too much into the comment, knowing the answer was made up on the spot, but there was something about the way the raven affectionately wrapped his arm around Bambam as he spoke that riled up unwanted emotions in him. Maybe it was because he now knew Jackson's interests didn't stop at women, or because out of everyone Jackson tended to be the most affectionate with Bambam, but for some reason it troubled him and as he looked at the pair he couldn't help and wonder if Jackson had ever been interested in any other members.

It wouldn't be too much of a surprise with how handsome everyone was, but it bothered Mark more than he cared to admit. Maybe that's why when the groups attention finally shifted to him, he purposely didn't choose Jackson, even though he had wanted to say he'd like to repeat the trip they went on when they were trainees. Instead he turned to the raven on his other side and smiled a little.

"I'd take Jinyoungie." He said, watching his friend raise a curious eyebrow. "He's getting better at English and I think it would be fun to go to LA with him."

The beaming smile he received moments later from Jinyoung as the younger hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him close made Mark laugh and he wrapped his hands around Jinyoung's chest to return the other's affection.

"Thanks, hyung. I'd want the same thing." Jinyoung answered as he spoke into the mic. "Mark-hyung has been really good at helping me with my English. It'd be fun to go on a trip with him."

The rest of the interview went relatively smoothly with Mark sticking close to Jinyoung and even though he still felt uncomfortable as he noticed how touchy Jackson was being with Bambam, he pushed the thoughts aside, knowing they were irrational. Even then, if Jackson _did_ have a thing for the Thai idol, Mark had no say in who the other pursued, which was why he tried to avoid the raven for the rest of the day, as he tried to come to terms with the prospect that his friend could eventually fall for some other guy.

Before, when he thought about the raven falling in love he imagined a pretty girl that could give Jackson a picture perfect family and even though he hated to think of someone else with the other, he was still oddly at ease. Because he wasn’t a women and nothing could change that, but now, everything was different. All this time it wasn't that Jackson couldn't love him, it was that he never looked at Mark in anyway other than a friend and it hurt a little as he imagined all the men his friend had been with. How many were there? How serious had the relationships been? Did they make Jackson happier than Mark did?

Mark didn't know, but even if he did he doubted he would like the answers very much.

Eventually however they were back at the dorms, exhausted from the long day. They quickly prepared and ate dinner, with the oldest helping with the dishes afterwards before he took a quick shower. Once he was done, he walked into the living room to see Yugyeom and Bambam watching some movie.

"Where is everyone else?"

"In their rooms I think?" Bambam questioned.

"Oh, JB-hyung said he wanted to talk with you." Yugyeom added, "Something about a change in your schedule."

"Alright, thanks." Mark nodded as he made his way to Jaebum's room. He softly knocked on the door before he heard someone say he could come in and Mark quickly entered the shared room. Looking around he half expected Jackson to be there but with the soft hum of water coming from the bathroom he quickly realized the other was showering.

"You needed me?" He asked as he spotted the handsome man on his bed, typing something on his laptop.

"Oh, hyung." Jaebum said as he gestured for the other to come closer and as Mark settled himself next to the other on his bed, leaning over to see what the man was doing. He noticed there were a few tabs open and it was clear the other was researching something.

"The company said that the schedule for this week has changed. They wanted you, Jinyoung and Jackson to do a few interviews and appearances on variety shows alone. I'll be with the others doing the same thing." JB explained as scrolled through a website.

"Okay." Mark answered, feeling a wave of emotion wash over him at the thought of being with Jackson again. Of course Jinyoung would be there, but he knew that was hardly enough to avoid the Hong Kong native like he had done today.

"Will you be alright with the kids?" He teased, hearing Jaebum laugh a few seconds later.

"I'll manage." He responded knowing that although Youngjae wasn't bad, Yugyeom and Bambam were a completely different story, especially when they were together.

Mark ended up getting caught up in a conversation with the younger and didn't realize when the shower had turned off or when the bathroom door opened but before he knew it he looked up to see Jackson in the doorway.

"You two look cute." Jackson said, looking between the pair on JB's bed where Mark had leaned in close to see what Jaebum had been doing. There was something about the way Jackson said the words that made him feel uneasy and if Mark didn't know better he would think the other sounded annoyed but he pushed the thought aside knowing there was no reason for him to be. Not when they were all just friends.

"Did you need to change?" JB asked, looking up from the laptop to see the raven in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Yeah,"He answered but paused as he looked at Mark. "But I need to speak with Mark, alone."

"Sure." JB answered getting up from the bed, shifting past Mark with his laptop and heading for the door. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Once they were alone Mark shifted on the bed, watching as Jackson stepped closer and the blonde couldn't help but let his eyes run over the other's upper body. By anyone's standards, Mark knew Jackson would be considered attractive, how couldn't he be with a body like his and Mark resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers against the hard surface of the others chest.

Unfortunately he was pulled out of his thoughts when the raven finally spoke up.

"I've been wondering about something..." Jackson started, stopping in front of where Mark was leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"What is it?"

"Do you like anyone?" Jackson asked, "I mean— are you doing this thing with me because you like someone?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you doing this thing with me because you like someone?"

Mark froze as he heard the question, feeling a sense of panic wash over him as he wondered if Jackson knew something about his affection towards him. He didn't think so, but then again he hadn't thought JB knew anything either and had been proven wrong earlier that day. Even if Mark hadn't out right confessed he liked Jackson, the fact that Jaebum knew why he had gone out in the first place meant he had some sort of idea.

Nonetheless, that was different from this. Because if he confessed that he didn't just like, but he was in love with his best friend of all people he knew it could, most likely would, go very wrong. And Mark wasn't that selfish to force his unwanted affection onto to Jackson.

That was why, instead of answering he sat up, swinging his legs off the bed to hang off the side as he opened them wide enough so his thighs were on either side of Jackson's standing form. His knees grazed against the towel that was wrapped around the raven's waist and he resisted the urge to shift his eyes down. Instead he locked eyes with the Hong Kong native, lifting a hand to place it on Jackson's chest as he spoke.

"Would it matter if I did?" He asked. Lifting his free hand to wrap around the nape of the other's neck, tugging the man forward so their faces were closer. "Would that change anything we do?"

Mark felt his heart beat faster as he watched Jackson's eyes narrow slightly, a hint of lust in them as he stepped forward into the blonde's legs.

"You don't know how sexy you look, do you hyung?" He said as he ran a hand up the other's thigh, stopping at Mark's waist as he leaned closer to ghost his lips against the other's smooth neck.

"Are you sure?" Jackson whispered, cautiously asking for the LA idol’s consent.

"Yes." He managed, trying his best to keep his voice calm as he felt the hand on his waist travel slightly lower to grope his ass. He groaned as seconds later Jackson leaned in and pressed his lips against Mark's, nipping at the bottom lip before he pushed his tongue further. Like the day before, Jackson kissed him in a way that left Mark wanting more but luckily this time the blonde could wrap his arm's around the other's neck and slowly pull him back as they broke for air. The American let Jackson easily set the pace as they slowly made out and Mark enjoyed the contrast from yesterday's aggressive kiss.

"Hmmph." Mark unintentionally moaned as he felt Jackson trail his hand up his back underneath his shirt and the skin to skin contact snapped the older out of his temporary daze. All of a sudden he was very much aware that Jackson was towering over him, gaze filled with lust as he leaned forward to push Mark further into the bed.

"We can't." Mark spoke up, fully aware that if they went any further he would regret it in the end. He wasn't ready for what Jackson was mostly likely thinking of doing and he shifted his gaze away from the other as he explained himself. "We're on JB's bed."

The explanation seemed to be enough for the Chinese man to back away, clearing his throat as he looked over the blonde on the bed.

For Jackson, he couldn't help but think the older looked sexy with his disheveled clothes and swollen lips and even though Jackson tried to remember it was his best friend sitting on the bed, he couldn't help but want to continue. Who wouldn't when Mark looked like he wanted it as much as Jackson wanted him and he resisted the urge to push the matter.

Mark wasn't ready, and he would respect that. That was why he simply nodded and headed towards the dresser to pull out a pair of boxers and some clothes he usually slept in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to force you."

"You didn't."

"Just tell me when you want to continue." Jackson informed the blonde, smirking a little as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom, clothes in hand. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

Mark reclutantly stood from the bed when he heard the bathroom door close and quickly he exited the shared room, making his way towards the kitchen to get a glass of water to cool himself down. He knew he was blushing simply from the heat from his cheeks and he only hoped it wasn't too noticeable in case he bumped into any of the other members on his way to the kitchen. Luckily he was successful in making to the dorm kitchen undetected, but as he gulped down the water, he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

He couldn't believe how bold he had been, as if he was completely comfortable with screwing around with Jackson, and Mark wondered what had gotten into him. In the past, he had always been the one to take charge in a relationship, but he figured that was more because that was what felt natural. The girls he had dated tended to be shy, cute and nothing like Jackson. Not that Mark expected that he needed to take charge when it came to his past relationship, but in the end he was the one making the first move.

This time however, he surprised himself at how effortlessly he had taken charge and made the first move, and he wondered what Jackson thought of it. He never had dated, or screwed around with someone like Jackson, who wasn't afraid to speak his mind and tell people what he liked, and Mark wondered if his actions gave off his intention.

He didn't want Jackson to think he was only doing this purely because he wanted to get laid, but he also didn't want the other to think he wasn't interested in the relationship and Mark thought coming onto the other had made his intentions clear. He only hoped the Hong Kong native had gotten the message. Nonetheless, he knew he would just have to wait and see what would happen in the days to come.

Once Monday came, Mark was almost grateful at the fact their schedule picked up and even though behind closed doors his relationship with Jackson had changed, they still acted the same on camera. Jackson was still friendly, and touchy and although Mark liked the fact that their arrangement didn't seem to affect their relationship, it somewhat bothered him that the other could pretend that nothing had changed. In particular, it annoyed him that even though Jackson was touchy with him, that didn't stop him from being that way with the others in the group.

"Glad to have you guys back." A male interviewer said as he greeted the members. They were at a television studio for a short interview and as Mark sat on one end of the couch with Jackson to his right, he tried his best to ignore the way the raven wrapped his arm around Bambam who was seated on the rappers other side.

"Thank you for having us." Bambam answered as the interview began.

Mark found the interview relatively calm, with the host asking questions about how the album was produced, what type of things inspired them when they wrote some of their songs, and how long they spent preparing for their new comeback. And for majority of the interview Mark only spoke up when a question was directly related to him, knowing that Jaebum was the one that spent most of the time working on their songs, however, he was caught off guard when the interviewer started asking general questions.

"So, I thought it would be interesting for the fans to know who in the group is the closest with one another." The host says. "I know you guys have been together for years now, and although all of you are very close, we wanted to know what members tend to stick together off screen."

"The first question is, if you could room with anyone, that isn't your current roommate, who would it be?"

Mark silently listened as he heard his name come up a few times as the members answered the question, knowing that he was one of the quietest of the group and most people wouldn't mind having him as a roommate, however, as they reached Bambam, he was surprised with the younger's answer.

"I'd want Jackson-hyung as a roommate." Bambam said and Jackson smiled widely as a few members spoke up in protest.

"He's lying, it's just because Jackson is sitting next to him." Jinyoung said,

"Jackson-hyung snores." Yugyeom added.

"Don't listen to them, I'm a great roommate, right JB-hyung?" Jackson defended himself, looking to the leader for reassurance but simply getting a shrug in response.

"Why did you choose Jackson-shi, Bambam-shi?" The host asked, smiling at the banter of the other members.

"Jackson-hyung is always so entertaining, it would be fun having him as roommate." Bambam explained.

"Thank you, Bambam." The older said as he pulled Bambam closer, "Maybe I should just room with you instead of JB-hyung, at least you'll share the fan with me."

A few members laughed at the comment as Jackson ultimately chose Bambam when it was his turn and once it came to Mark the oldest responded immediately.

"JB. I'd want to room with him." He answered honestly. "He seems like he would be a good roommate."

Mark smiled a little as he turned his head to look over his shoulder where JB was seated on a stool behind the couch, a large hand rested on his head as the other ruffled his hair and smiled in response. However the blonde missed the way the small smile slipped from Jackson's face for a second as he watched the interaction and as the LA idol turned back the host quickly moved to the next question, continuing the interview.

The rest of the day went by much more smoothly after that, as Jackson didn't seem as clingy as he had been in their first interview and it put Mark's thoughts at ease. It wasn't like he thought the other would seriously pursue other members but that didn't mean he liked to see Jackson as touchy as he had been with Bambam. If it had been someone else, perhaps JB or Yugyeom, Mark wouldn't have minded, but when he looked at Bambam and Jackson he couldn't help but think they looked good together. And the thought bothered him more than he liked to admit.

Luckily however, the next few days became much more busy as their schedules picked up and Mark didn't have much time to worry about such trivial things. Instead, he focused on preparing and practicing for their latest comeback, making sure he perfected dance moves and practiced his parts enough that they became second nature to him and before he knew it the week was almost over. Unfortunately, that also meant he would be spending the next few days in the company of Jackson and Jinyoung and although his relationship with Jackson hadn't changed much over the last few days, he figured that was because they were too busy with work to worry about their arrangement.

He only hoped the next few days went well.

* * *

"Hey, we're on in five." Jinyoung said as he opened the door to the dressing room where Mark was getting his hair styled, pulling the blonde out of his previous thoughts. It was the second day that the three of them were promoting alone and although the first day went by fast, Mark knew that was only due to the fact that they had spent majority of the day training with the other members before they did a few interviews by themselves. Even then, the questions were predictable and Mark had gotten used to answering the same questions over and over again, but today was different as they were finally appearing on a variety show and Mark felt slightly nervous at the prospect.

"Alright, I'm coming." He nodded as he stood from the chair, thanking the woman that had been helping him, before following behind Jinyoung.

The show they were appearing on included various people from other companies and Mark wasn't surprised when he reached the entrance of the stage to see Jackson chatting with someone. It was a given to see that the raven knew someone, with how outgoing and friendly the Hong Kong native was, and he felt a little relieved when he realized that someone could take away Jackson's attention for now. Unfortunately, his thoughts stopped as he stepped closer to see the girl Jackson had been speaking with and immediately recognized her as Kang So-ra.

The actress looked as beautiful as their first meeting, with her long black hair that cascaded down her back in curls, her bangs framing her pretty face and her smile that widened as Jackson spoke to her. It was clear to Mark that she was interested in the raven and the notion reminded him that even though Jackson was helping him, that didn't mean he was off the market. Jackson could still flirt with or date whoever he wanted.

"Who is that?" Jinyoung asked as they approached the pair.

"A girl we met during dinner last week. She's friends with Jooheon and the others." Mark explained, as he recalled how interested Jackson seemed last week when he spoke with the actress.

"Hmm, well it looks like he's interested." The younger commented and Mark paused as felt unwanted emotions bubble up. Of course he was used to seeing Jackson with girls, but the thought that the raven could simply turn his attention elsewhere the moment Mark wasn't around left him feeling a bit unwanted.

"They would be good together." Mark added as he pushed his previous thoughts aside, suddenly indifferent to the scene. There was no point in dwelling on things he couldn't change. If Jackson wanted to flirt with Sora, he would let him, but that didn't mean he would pretend he was alright with the thought. No, he wouldn't let Jackson act like he was some charity case. Maybe that's why he pulled out his phone and opened his messages, hovering over the unread message he had received over the weekend before he opened it.

**[1-XXX-XXX-XXXX] Hey, it's Sunghoon. I know you're pretty busy but tell me when you're free. I had a good time last time.**

Mark bit his bottom lip as he read the text, knowing it was a bad idea to answer, but pushing the thought aside as he recalled his previous encounter with Sunghoon. If he was being honest, he liked the way Sunghoon looked at him, the way he pursued him without caring what consequences would ensue and even though they barely knew each other, Mark wouldn't mind meeting again, despite Jackson's warnings.

**[Mark] Hey, yeah so did I. I'll tell you when I'm free.**

He paused as he pressed the phone number, quickly saving the number before placing the phone back in his pocket before he and Jinyoung made small talk as they waited. Surprisingly, he felt his phone vibrate a few minutes later and pulled it out to check the notification.

**[Sunghoon] Glad you enjoyed it. Sorry the night was cut short. I'll make it up to you next time.**

He suppressed a smile as he opened the phone, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he thought of a response. However, before he could start typing he felt the phone pulled out of his hands and a sense of panic washed over him as he looked up to see who it was. He watched as Jackson' eyes ran across the screen, quickly reading the messages and Mark knew it was too late when he snatched back the phone seconds later, quickly pushing it into his pocket as he met the others disapproving look.

"You've been busy." Jackson commented, his expression indifferent but Mark could tell the other was mad simply from the cold tone he used.

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" He shot back, ignoring the confused looked he got from the Hong Kong native as he shifted his attention to one of the stage crew members that had approached them.

"We're preparing to introduce everyone." The man informed, directing them where to go to enter the stage before leaving the three alone again.

"We're talking about this later." Jackson whispered in his ear, a warning clear in his voice and Mark tried his best to keep an indifferent expression as he realized the moment they walked off stage an argument would ensue. However, despite himself, Mark plastered on a small smile and followed behind the rest of the guests as they entered the stage, knowing that even though Jackson was mad, they still had a job to get done.

* * *

As soon as filming for the variety show was over and the three exited the stage, Mark felt a tight grip on his arm and he turned to see Jackson wrapped around his wrist, stopping him.

"What?" He asked, knowing that although they had acted friendly and close on stage, the tension between the two hadn't faded. The raven clearly still seemed mad about the texts and from the way Jackson held his wrist, Mark could tell he wouldn't be able to avoid the matter.

"Jinyoung, we'll be right back, give us a few minutes." Jackson spoke up, ignoring Marks questioning gaze and instead pulling the other down a hallway the moment Jinyoung nodded in understanding. It wasn't until he felt his back hit the cold wall of some empty dressing room did Mark finally push the younger off of him.

"What do you want?"

"Hyung, you're really testing my patience." Jackson said, narrowing his eyes as he met Mark's challenging gaze. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from that guy?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop treating me like a child?"

"I wouldn't if you didn't make such stupid decisions." The raven insisted, "I'm not telling you this because I don't want you to find someone, but he's not worth it. You're wasting your time."

"That's for me to decide." Mark cut in, finding it annoying how Jackson made it sound like he knew what was best for the blonde. "And why does it matter?"

"Because you have me." The Hong Kong native clarified.

"You make it sound like this is something more than sex, Jackson." He started, a cynical laugh escaping his lips as he spoke. "I have every right to screw around with other guys, just like you have every right to screw around with other people."

There was eerie pause as Jackson seemed taken back at the words and Mark simply waited for the other to try to defend himself.

"Are you willing to let Sunghoon be the first guy you date— much less sleep with?" Jackson asked, frowning as he crossed his arms across his chest. "He's someone that picks up anyone that catches his eye, you know that right? The moment he's done with you he'll drop you."

"How are you any different?" Mark asked, knowing that even if Jackson sounded overbearing, there was some truth to his words, but he ignored the thought as he continued. "Haven't you done the same thing in the past with all of those girls you slept with? Not to mention all the guys you never told me about."

"That wasn't the same thing. They knew what they were getting themselves into." The raven defended.

Mark highly doubted that, but the didn’t press the matter.

"Right, I guess we should clarify what we’re getting ourselves into as well. Let's make this clear." Mark started, pushing away from the wall. "During this arrangement, I won't mess around with Sunghoon if you don't sleep with anyone. We can both agree that a relationship outside of this won't work if we're hooking up with each other.”

The proposal felt bittersweet as Mark noted the fact that his words only meant Jackson would stop pursuing others for the time being, but he knew there was no point in demanding anything else without sounding possessive.

”I won’t stop you from flirting with people, do whatever you want with them besides sex, but that goes both ways. If I want to message Sunghoon it’s my business.” 

There was a beat of silence.

"Alright. But don't back out on me when things start to heat up, hyung." Jackson said, stepping closer to grab the others waist and pull him closer, letting his lips graze against Mark's ear. "And don't blame me if you can't handle it."

Seconds later, Mark felt Jackson bite his ear, making him groan as he felt the raven grip his waist and grind down against him. The kisses this time were greedy, as the two fought for dominance with open mouth kisses that made Mark forget where they were; and as he felt Jackson's hand play with the waistline of his dress pants, he didn't stop the other from going further this time. Instead he pulled the man closer, wrapping his arms around the Hong Kong natives neck as he was pushed further up against the wall.

A small groan came from the younger as his hips pushed against Mark's providing the much needed friction they both needed. Unfortunately, as they broke from another heated kiss, Mark looked into Jackson's eyes and watched as the other suddenly untangled his arms from the other's waist stepping back to give them some space as he straightened his appearance.

"We should probably get going." The raven said, letting his eyes run over the blonde as he noted Mark's flushed face, slightly bruised lips and lust filled eyes. Jackson smirked a little as he took in the scene, finding it oddly satisfying to see how desperate the other looked from merely making out, and although the younger rapper wanted nothing more than to lock the door and finish what they started, he had enough self-restraint to hold himself back.

Instead, he patted his hair, straightened his shirt and quickly headed to the door, turning back as he spoke his parting words.

"Just remember, Mark, if I'm not screwing around with others, you won't get off easy."


	7. Chapter 7

Mark took a few moments to gather himself after Jackson had exited the room, ignoring the small arousal still present as he tried to calm himself down. If he was being honest, he hadn't expected the raven to act the way he had and although he knew it was simply because the other didn't want him to get involved with someone that could potentially cause a huge scandal for not only Mark, but the whole group, he felt a small sense of satisfaction at the concern the other had shown. If it had been Jaebum or Jinyoung would the Hong Kong native have stepped in? He wasn't sure, but he certainly didn't think Jackson would suggest such a relationship to the two. Not that the pair would accept such an absurd proposition in the first place.

Nonetheless, he pushed off the wall he had been leaning again, straightening his clothes before exiting the room. Once he arrived at the car he wasn't surprised to see Jackson causally speaking with Jinyoung as if he hadn't pinned Mark against a wall and kissed him moments before. The blonde should have been thankful for the normalcy of the situation, but it somewhat bothered him when he thought about how easily Jackson could act like nothing happened. Like nothing _was_ happening between them.

The car ride to the next location was quiet but Mark didn't mind as he pretended to sleep, knowing he couldn't keep a conversation with Jackson without thinking about what they had just done. It wasn't that he tended to be shy around people he liked, surprisingly in the past he had rarely gotten flustered with the girls that he dated, but this time was different. In the past, his relationships had started off slowly, with dates that eventually lead to him getting more comfortable with the girl, but with his arrangement with Jackson that wasn't the case. Now, it was purely sexual with no emotions involved and no hard feelings when everything was said and done with. And as much as Mark hated thinking that Jackson simply thought of this as another one of his flings, he knew that backing out of it now would leave him feeling like he had let an opportunity slip through his hands. Of course, he knew that sleeping with the other wouldn't make Jackson fall for him, but he hoped he could make the other realize _he_ could be something more than simply a good friend.

Even then, there was a small part of Mark that knew there was a possibility that Jackson wouldn't fall for him, and although it hurt, he had come to terms with accepting the fact. Because more than anything he wanted Jackson to be happy even if that meant his happiness was with someone else.

Luckily, the next a few interviews went by easily with Mark speaking to Jackson with relative calmness, but despite that, he couldn't help but feel there was a distance between them. As a group they tended to have a lot of skinship already but when it came to Jackson, he always seemed to naturally touch others. Whether it was slinging his arms around someone's shoulders or wrapping them around their waist Mark was used to Jackson being close with them. That being said, Mark couldn't bring himself to initiate any sort of contact with Jackson because he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they didn't have a group of eyes on them.

Would Jackson pull him closer and whisper into his ear? Would he tighten the hold on Mark's waist and kiss down his neck? Would he push him down on the nearest flat surface and—

"Good work today." One of the managers said to him as they waited for the car to pull up to take them back to the dorms. Mark, who was casually leaning against one of the walls of the back entrance snapped out of his earlier thoughts as he tried his best not to look too embarrassed about how quickly they had escalated.

"Thank you." He said, with a small smile.

"You guys have worked hard this week, it should start to calm down as we get closer to the comeback. Most of these shows will take a few weeks to release the interviews anyways." The man continued. "You'll probably be stuck practicing for the last few weeks leading up to the comeback."

Mark nodded as he started a conversation with the manager, asking about what their schedule looked like for the next few weeks. He wasn't surprised when he heard the amount of work they had to do, but he was glad to hear that they had a few late mornings and nights off for themselves. Although, Mark doubted he would do anything other than catch up on sleep and laze around in the dorms until he was too bored and decided to go out. Even then, he didn't like going out without planning beforehand, especially considering the last time he had it had ended horribly.

"Car's here." Someone called out, stopping his conversation and before he knew it they were driving back to dorms. Twenty minutes later, as Mark walked into their place, he was pleasently surprised the other four members were finishing up on making dinner and quickly greeted them before they all seated themselves around the large kitchen table.

"How was today?" Jaebum asked as they ate.

"Alright." Jinyoung answered. "Most of the interviews were basic. Jackson talked most of the time."

"When doesn't he." Jaebum whispered under his breath but they all heard it.

"Hey! You make it sound like a bad thing. I know you guys like hearing my voice." Jackson said with a small smirk. Most of the group ignored the comment as Bambam spoke up.

"Only you like to here your voice."

"That's not what people tell me. If you know what I mean." The raven said, as he winked at the younger man. A few groans were heard but the topic was dropped after that, with the group shifting to talk about what they needed work on during practice.

"Our formation looks good, but we probably need a few more sessions to get everything down completely." Yugyeom said.

"Hopefully we get some free time before we tour." Bambam said with a sigh.

"One of the managers said we should have some nights off." Mark answered, "Mostly on the weekends too."

"Good, I wanted to see Jooheon again before I left." Jackson said as he scooped some rice into his mouth. "He said he wanted to go one night."

"Ohh, are you going out with his friends?" Jinyoung asked. "To meet someone in particular?"

"What do you mean?"

“Ohh, what’s this?” Yugyeom chirped up, interested in what Jinyoung was implying.

"I mean, you seemed pretty close with that actress today." Jinyoung continued with a smirk. "Sora, was it?"

Jackson was surprised at the question but Mark watched as the man played it off easily. "It's not like that. We're just friends. I only met her last week anyways."

And just like that the topic was dropped with the other's shifting the conversation elsewhere. Dinner continued without much trouble after that and Mark was more than grateful to go to bed early that night as he let the tiredness of the week wash over him, lulling him to sleep before he could let his thoughts wonder about what had transpired earlier.

He'd worry about it later.

* * *

It wasn't until Saturday night rolled around—and all the members seemed to have already made plans—did Mark realize he was stuck in the dorms with Jackson alone. The previous few day had gone relatively better than the beginning of the week and the blonde hoped that was because he was getting comfortable with his new relationship with Jackson, despite the fact they hadn't been intimate since that day in the dressing room.

"Are you staying in tonight?" Jackson asked as he exited his room, clearly finished with a shower, to see Mark seated in the kitchen playing on his phone as he sipped on some tea.

"Yeah, why?" Mark watched as the raven walked backed into his room before returning a few moments later with several bottles of soju.

"What are you doing?" Mark asked as suppressed a groan as he knew whatever Jackson was going to suggest, certainly didn't seem like a good idea.

"Well, since it's just the two of us I thought it would be good to get to know each other."

"We do know each other."

"You and I both know we haven't been very close in years." Jackson said as he seated himself across from Mark, with two shot glasses in hand. "We used to get along pretty well hyung, that's why I came up with a way to get to know one another again."

Opening the bottle Jackson filled the glasses before he pushed one towards Mark. "It's a simple game. We take turns asking questions. Nothing is off limits."

Mark tried not to frown at the suggestion, knowing that giving Jackson free reign as definitely a bad idea.

"But if you don't want to answer the question, you take the shot. By the end of the night, we should know each other better or be wasted, either way it's a productive night."

"Where did you find this game from?" Mark asked as he looked down at the clear liquid in the glass. "It sounds like something a group of teenagers would play."

"Come on hyung, it'd be fun. Unless you're hiding something from me." Jackson said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"I have nothing to hide." Mark answered, leaning forward to give the raven a leveled stare. "Ask anything."

A small laugh escaped the raven's lips as he smiled widely, obviously excited about Mark's challenge.

"Alright, lets start of easy." Jackson said, "What do you hate about me?"

"That you—" Mark started, immediately realizing the images that were coming to mind were ones where Jackson clung to others and he knew exactly what he hated about Jackson. He hated how easily the Hong Kong native got close with people. How Jackson could meet someone and by the end of the night they were hanging off his arm. Maybe it was because it reminded Mark that Jackson could have others falling at his feet if he turned on the charm and in reality he could easily find someone better than him. Nonetheless, Mark knew he couldn't admit such a thing to the raven, that was why he simply picked up the shot glass and drank it.

"What happened to not hiding anything."

"I didn't want to upset you before the game even started." Mark teased.

"Your turn."

"Hmm, have you ever—ah, thought about leaving Got7?" Mark asked, knowing the question was serious but for some reason he wasn't worried about the answer.

"Yeah." Jackson nodded, "I mean, of course every idol, at some point, wants to leave. The schedules are hectic, you're stuck in hotels or cars half the time and even if you have free time you don't get to see your family much. But when I started building my own team I started to seriously think about it. Of course our contracts keep us here, but I don't think I would leave either way."

"Why?"

"Got7 is like family to me. Before it, I wasn't known in Korea—anywhere really—but now things are different. You guys have been there for me since the beginning. I could never leave."

"Okay, my turn." Jackson said, smirking as he asked the question. "Since I know about most of the girlfriends you had in the past, I want to know what type of guy you're into? Who do you find attractive?"

Mark bit his lips, knowing that the question was could easily be answered in one word but he highly doubted admitting he liked Jackson was the brightest idea. Instead he vaguely described his type without out right giving himself away.

"Usually someone that's fit. Not too muscly but I wouldn't mind someone that could fill out a suit." Mark started, finding it awkward to describe his type. He never really thought about it if he was being honest. "Even with girls, I like people who have nice eyes. Maybe someone with a nice smile too."

"As for personality, I like a guy that would take the time to get to know me. I mean, for anyone really, I don't want to be with a person that doesn't care about how I'm doing. I know I don't talk much, but you know once I get comfortable with someone I tend to open up." Mark explained, as he recalled a few bad dates with girls that were more interested in themselves than him.

"Damn, so a guy that could push you down and have his way with you and then have a heart to heart with you afterwords?" Jackson asked and if Mark didn't know better he would have been thrown off by the words, but from the way he smiled teasingly at him, he could tell the other was joking.

"Fuck you, at least my taste is better than yours." He said but the words didn't hold any heat.

"Ohh, of course. Sunghoon is a real catch."

"Well, you can't deny he's handsome." Mark admitted knowing that despite whatever Jackson thought about the older man, he was still an actor at the end of the day. And although his acting skills were what got him roles in the end, his looks probably helped too.

"If we're solely going off of someone that's handsome you wouldn't need to look far." Jackson said. "Especially in this industry."

"Well, let's be honest, when you hook up with someone all you care about is looks, right?" Mark asked, pushing a subject he would never bring up under normal circumstances, but he knew the alcohol was slowly giving him courage.

"Is that your question?"

"Yes." Mark nodded as he waited for the answer. He doubted it would be anything significant, but he still wanted to know. To finally understand why Jackson hooked up with others without much thought. Was it simply because he wanted to sleep with a pretty face?

"I mean, you're not wrong." Jackson started as he got a disapproving look from the blonde. "Don't look at me like that. It's not like I sleep around often, we don't have much time to go out anyway. But sometimes it's nice to have a one-night fling. Besides I'm careful and never spend the night."

"Alright, my turn." The raven continued. "When's the last time you slept with someone?"

Mark froze at the question, knowing if he told the man the truth he wouldn't be able to live it down. It had been awhile since he had hooked up with anyone really. Even when they went out he rarely disappeared with someone to have a quickie. Instead, he had gotten used to enjoying the night out with the other members. Most of the time Yugyeom and Youngjae tended to spend their night on the dance floor or near the bar and Mark liked to keep them company as the others were left to their own devices. Jinyoung usually tagged along but there were a few times where he had vanished suddenly only to show up a couple hours later looking the same as he always. Mark never asked where the raven had gone, but he could figure out the just of it.

As for the other three, Mark knew they had a pretty active sexual life, to but it plainly, and although he didn't pry much, he could tell Bambam and JB were definitely just as experienced as Jackson, although, certainly not as active.

Nonetheless, he didn't hesitate to pick up the shot and drink it as he heard the question.

"Hmm, if it keeps going this way you'll be drunk before we get to ask the real questions."

"Don't get too cocky. I know you're a lightweight." Mark said as he asked his next question. "How about something more personal? Have you had a threesome?"

"I've had a couple. Only with girls though, although I wouldn't mind mixing it up." Jackson said with a small smirk on his face as he noted the way Mark’s ears turned pink at the admittance.

"How about you?"

"No." Mark answered immediately, knowing it wasn't worth it to take another shot."How many people in the industry have you slept with?"

The question seemed to catch Jackson off guard and the blonde watched as the other contemplated with answering before he ultimately picked up the shot and drank it. It didn't surprise Mark, but the unspoken admittance still stung a bit.

"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you, hyung." Jackson said as he paused a bit before he finally asked his next question. "If you could, what guy would you sleep with from an idol group?"

"Are you serious? I'm not answering that." Mark said as he glared at the Hong Kong native.

"Take the shot then." Jackson said said as he gestured as he poured the clear liquid into the the blonde's glass.

"No." Mark said as he became aware if he continued at this rate he would be too drunk before he could ask Jackson some real questions. "I'll answer, but I've never really thought about it."

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you've thought about some guys?" Jackson added and although Mark knew the other was probably right, he doubted those thoughts were anything compared to the ones he'd had for the raven sitting across from him.

"A few." Mark admitted.

"Who?"

Mark knew it was a stupid idea to admit anything, looking back he probably should've just taken the shot kept his mouth shut, but American born idol wasn't thinking clearly as he answered.

"Jaebum." He said, biting his lip as he watched Jackson's expression change. There was clear surprise but Mark could tell there was something more to the others gaze. Although he didn't have much time to ponder the thought as he heard the raven speak up.

"Jaebum-hyung?" Jackson echoed, eyebrows furrowing as he processed the answer.

"If I could choose, yeah he's probably someone I'd—" Mark started before he was cut off.

"I know, I heard you the first time. Since when did you have a thing for him?"

"We'll I've always thought he was good looking, but we both know nothing could happen between me and him. Besides, it's not like I'm madly in love with him or anything. Aren't you the one that call him chic and sexy all the time?"

"That doesn't mean I want to fuck him." Jackson defended as he leaned back on his chair. Mark watched as his expression seemed indifferent, but he could tell the other was holding back what he wanted to say.

"And you've never thought of having a one time thing with one of the other members." He asked.

"I—" Jackson began to defend before he stopped himself. "This isn't about me."

"Well, I've answered your question, answer mine now."

Mark watched as the other rapper stayed silent for a few moments, deep in thought about something, and he took the time to look over the other's expression. His lips were a thin line as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the table.

"I have—“ Jackson admitted as he looked up to meet Mark's eyes. "Actually, I've slept with a member."

Mark paused as he processed the words, feeling an unbearable sinking feeling build in the pit of his stomach as he came to terms with what Jackson meant. He wanted it to be a joke, wanted the other to smile and laugh it off a few seconds later, but from the guilty look Jackson was giving him, he could tell what the raven was say was true.

"How stupid can you be." Mark said, anger in his voice as he tried his best not to think about how heartbroken he felt. "You of all people should know sleeping with one of the members could ruin our group."

"It was different back then. We were both drunk and once we woke up we decided to never do it again."

"Did you tell him the same thing you told me?" Mark asked, recalling the way Jackson promised he wouldn't let their relationship change once they started getting intimate.

"No, it wasn't like we intended to do anything. It's just happened and we both agreed to not let it affect our relationship. A drunken fling that's all it was."

"Who was it?" Mark asked, knowing the answer would hurt him either way, but he needed to know.

"It isn't your turn." Jackson reminded him before he asked his own question. "Why did you agree to this?"

"This? You mean why I'm alright with sleeping with you?" Mark clarified.

"Yeah." Jackson nodded.

"Honestly..." Mark started, knowing that he could lie and tell Jackson he was doing it because it was convenient, or he could simply take the shot in front of him, but the thought never crossed his mind as he answered. "I thought it would help me get over someone."

Jackson rose a questioning eyebrow at the new information but Mark immediately spoke up before the rapper could question further.

"Now tell me. Who was it?" He asked, snapping his friend out of his earlier thoughts.

"You can't tell anyone." Jackson started, "Even him. We promised we wouldn't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"It was Bambam." Jackson said and Mark tried his best not to show how hurt he was at the admittance. But nonetheless it hurt more than anything. It felt like someone was laughing at him for how naive he had been. Because all this time he had thought Jackson was untouchable, too far out of his reach for Mark to even have a chance with the younger man. But now? It felt like had wasted years in his own self pity. Even then, it reminded Mark that Jackson had never looked at him in such a way because if he had, even just a little, wouldn’t he have come onto him at least once? It had happened with Bambam, so how was he any different?

"We went to a club and got too wasted. I don't remember much from the night."

"Who started it?" Mark asked as he leaned forward in his seat, closing the distance between them as he looked into the others eyes.

"I don't remember."

"You don't?" The blonde echoed as he moved his body closer, leaning over the table as he let his eyes wonder from Jackson's neck to his lips. "Are you sure?"

"No." The rapper said as he noted the way Mark's gaze seemed to change as it shifted from his lips to his eyes and then back again.

"Did you do something like this?" The older whispered lowly as he finally let their lips touch in a slow, sensual kiss. The kiss started off slow as Jackson leaned forward to meet Mark in the middle of the table, shot glasses and soju bottle forgotten as they lost themselves in one another. And if the Hong Kong native was being honest he had to admit, Mark certainly knew how to turn him on. There was something unbearably sexual in the way the other kiss him.

"No, I don't think that was it." Jackson said they pulled away seconds later.

"Hmm, you're right." Mark admitted as he stood and walked around the table, ignoring the questioning look the raven was giving him before he straddled the others hips, arms wrapped around Jackson's shoulders to hang over the back of the others chair. "He probably did something like this, right?"

Jackson felt lips on his again as he instinctively gripped the other's waist to keep him in place. This time he kissed back more fiercely, making sure to take control of the kiss despite how desperately Mark fought for dominance. Jackson could taste the soju on the others lips but as they continued and he noted the way the other bit on his lips, much like they way he did to his own all the time.

"Jackson." Mark whispered hotly in his ear as the raven broke the kiss and began to kiss his way down the other's neck. "More."

The needy groan caused the raven's arousal to grow and he became more aware his cock was progressively getting harder. And it didn't help as he felt Mark shift to grind down against the bulge in his pants. Clearly the blonde was getting inpatient and Jackson wasted not time in slipping a hand under the other's loose shirt to play with his hard nipples.

"Hmm." Mark moaned as he began to kiss again, this time kissing a little more aggressively as they slowly began to grind against one another.

"More." The blonde rapper repeated, this time making his plead clear as he grinded down harder onto Jackson.

"Don't worry baby, I'll give you anything you need." Jackson whispered as he nipped at Mark's neck, making sure not to leave any marks before he let his hands travel down to his pants, opening the drawstring of his sweats before he pulled them down the reveal his clothed member in his boxers. He watched as Mark's gaze shifted down to him in and as the other opened his mouth to say something they hear the sound of keys opening the front door, effectively cutting off whatever the older was about to say.

"We're home." They heard from the front door and both of them froze.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story I've written for this Fandom, so please feel free to leave a comment and tell me how you like it!


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